Ewha Womans University (Korean: 이화여자대학교, Hanja: 梨花女子大學校) is a private women's university in central Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the city's largest institutions of higher learning and currently the world's largest female educational institute.[2] It is one of the best-known universities in South Korea, also considered to be one of the top universities in Korea.[3] Ewha was founded in 1886 by the American Methodist Episcopal missionary Mary F. Scranton.

"Ewha" is a Sino-Korean term for "pear blossom". While the use of "Womans" is unconventional, it carries special meaning. The early founders of the college thought that every woman in this community is worth being respected; to promote this idea, they chose the word "woman" to avoid lumping students together under the word "women."