What is the Kanji for "Picture"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Picture", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Picture" is "画".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its onyomi readings are "Kaku" and "Ga".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 3 parts:

The kanji "一" means "One" and can be read as "Ichi", "Itsu", and "Hito". The radical "凵" means "Open box" . And The kanji "由" means "Reason" and can be read as "Yuu", "Yu", and "Yoshi".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "画" mean in japanese?

"画" means "Picture".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

映画: "Movie". The noun '映画 (えいが)' means 'movie'. This word refers to a series of moving images, typically with sound, that are projected onto a screen and tell a story or depict a series of events. Movies can be of various genres such as action, comedy, drama, etc. and are a popular form of entertainment and art. For example: I watched a good movie last night - (昨晩、良い映画を見ました). Let's go see a movie this weekend - (週末に映画を見に行きましょう).

計画: "Plan". The Japanese verbal noun '計画 (けいかく)' means 'plan'. This word refers to a detailed scheme, program, or method worked out beforehand for the accomplishment of an objective. It implies careful preparation and a specific set of steps to be taken. For example: We need to make a plan for the company's growth - (会社の成長のための計画を立てる必要がある). Let's discuss the details of the plan - (その計画の詳細について議論しましょう).

映画館: "Cinema". The Japanese word '映画館 (えいがかん)' refers to a building or establishment where movies are shown for public entertainment. It is a place where people go to watch films on a large screen. Cinemas typically have multiple screening rooms and often offer additional amenities like snack bars or lounges. For example: Let's go to the cinema - (映画館に行こう). I enjoy going to the cinema on the weekend - (週末によく映画館に行きます).

画面: "Screen". The Japanese noun '画面 (がめん)' refers to a screen, such as a computer monitor, television screen, or any other type of display device. It can be used to describe the physical area where information or images are displayed. For example: The screen is cracked - (画面が割れた). I'm looking at the screen - (画面を見ている).

画像: "Image". The noun '画像 (がぞう)' means 'image'. It refers to a visual representation of something, such as a photograph, drawing, or computer-generated graphic. Images are widely used in various contexts, such as in print media, digital media, and visual arts. For example: I took a beautiful image of the sunset - (美しい夕日の画像を撮りました). She showed me an image of her family - (彼女は家族の画像を見せてくれました).

漫画: "Comic" or "Manga". The Japanese noun '漫画 (まんが)' refers to comic books or graphic novels. It encompasses a wide range of styles and genres, from action-packed stories to slice-of-life narratives. Manga is a hugely popular form of entertainment in Japan and has a significant cultural influence. Examples: I enjoy reading manga - (漫画を読むのが好きです). This manga is very popular - (この漫画はとても人気があります).

画: "Picture". The Japanese noun '画 (が)' means 'picture'. It is used to refer to a visual representation of an object or scene, created using various artistic media such as painting, drawing, or photography. This word is commonly used in compounds to describe different types of pictures, such as 絵画 (かいが) - 'painting', 写真 (しゃしん) - 'photograph', and 漫画 (まんが) - 'comic book'. Example sentences: I enjoy looking at the beautiful paintings in the art museum - (美術館の素晴らしい絵画を見るのが好きです). This photo captures the stunning scenery perfectly - (この写真は素晴らしい景色をとらえています).

企画: "Plan". The Japanese verbal noun '企画 (きかく)' means 'plan'. It refers to the act of formulating or devising an idea, scheme, or proposal. This word is often used in business and creative contexts to describe the process of conceiving and developing new projects, products, or initiatives. For example: We need to create a plan for the new marketing campaign - (新しいマーケティングキャンペーンの企画が必要です). The company is working on a new product enterprise - (企業は新製品の企画に取り組んでいます).

区画: "Area". The noun '区画 (くかく)' means 'area'. It refers to a divided, demarcated, or partitioned section or zone within a larger space or territory. This word is commonly used to describe the layout or organization of a physical space, such as a town, building, or plot of land. For example: The park is divided into several different areas - (公園は複数の区画に分かれている). This area is reserved for parking - (この区画は駐車スペースとなっている).

画家: "Painter". The Japanese noun '画家 (がか)' refers to a person who is skilled in the art of painting. A '画家' creates artworks using various painting techniques and media such as oils, acrylics, watercolors, etc. They may specialize in different genres like portraiture, landscape, abstract, etc. For example: She is a famous painter - (彼女は有名な画家です). The painter created a beautiful landscape - (その画家は素晴らしい風景画を描きました).

絵画: "Painting". The Japanese noun '絵画 (かいが)' refers to a work of visual art, typically a painting on canvas or paper. It encompasses a wide range of artistic styles and techniques, from traditional Japanese styles to Western-influenced contemporary works. Paintings can depict a variety of subjects, such as landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and abstract compositions. For example: She admired the beautiful painting at the museum - (彼女は美術館の絵画を賞賛した). I enjoy visiting art galleries to see the latest paintings - (私は絵画を見るためにアートギャラリーを訪れるのが好きです).

洋画: "Foreign film". The Japanese noun '洋画 (ようが)' means 'foreign film'. This term is used to refer to films that are produced outside of Japan, typically in Western countries such as the United States or Europe. '洋画' is contrasted with '国内映画' or 'domestic films'. For example: I watched a foreign film last night - (昨晩、洋画を見ました). My favorite foreign film is Citizen Kane - (私お気に入りの洋画は『市民ケーン』です).

録画: "Record". The verbal noun '録画 (ろくが)' means 'to record'. This term is used to refer to the process of capturing audio, video or other media content onto a storage medium, such as a tape, disk, or digital file. It is commonly used in the context of television, video cameras, and other recording devices. For example: I recorded the TV show last night - (昨夜テレビ番組を録画しました). Let's record the concert - (コンサートを録画しましょう).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". And The hiragana "が" is read as "ga".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.