noun
fairyland; never-never land
A whimsical, imaginary place like a fairy-tale kingdom; often used in children's stories or metaphorically for an idealized, unreal world.
この絵本はおとぎの国を舞台にしている。
This picture book is set in a fairyland.
彼の話はまるでおとぎの国のようだ。
His story sounds like something out of a never-never land.
Common kana-kanji mixed spelling; the most practical written form for learners.
Full kanji spelling using 御伽; literary and somewhat old-fashioned.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common than おとぎの国.
From おとぎ (御伽, 'attending someone' or 'telling stories to keep someone company') + の + 国 ('country'). The phrase originally referred to a storybook land, later becoming a set term for fairyland.