Korean Dictionary
How to say "Oil painting" in Korean
“Oil painting” in Korean is 유화 (pronounced "Yuhwa").
유화
Yuhwa
Usage & Context
A classical painting medium highly valued in Korean fine arts education. Often associated with Western art traditions and museum collections.
Example Sentence
유화는 건조 시간이 깁니다.
Oil painting takes a long time to dry.
How to use 유화 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Oil painting” is 유화, romanized as Yuhwa.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 유화.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'yu-hwa'. Two syllables: 'yu' (like English 'you'), 'hwa' (a 'hw' glide with short 'ah'). Flowing and quick.
More Example Sentences
art class
유화 그리는 법을 배우고 있어요.
I'm learning how to paint with oils.
art tip
유화는 마르는 데 시간이 오래 걸려요.
Oil paintings take a long time to dry.
at a gallery
이 유화 작품 정말 인상적이에요.
This oil painting is really impressive.
Cultural Context
유화 literally means 'oil picture' (油畵). It's the technical term for Western-style oil painting as a medium, distinguishing it from 수채화 (watercolor), 수묵화 (ink), and 동양화 (Eastern-style painting). Oil painting arrived in Korea through Japanese modernization, and Korean 서양화 (Western-style painting) departments in universities teach it extensively.
Editorial note
We review entries like 유화 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
유화 그려 봤어요?
Have you tried oil painting?
유화 물감이 필요해요.
I need oil paints.
유화 작품이 멋있어요.
The oil painting is gorgeous.
Related Expressions
수채화
suchaehwa
watercolor painting
수묵화
sumukhwa
ink brush painting
캔버스
kaenbeoseu
canvas
물감
mulgam
paint (the substance)
More Art & Design Words
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