写しゃ真しん

しゃ

し

ん

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

noun

photograph; photo; picture

General term for a still image captured by a camera. Also used for the medium of photography.

旅りょ行こうの写しゃ真しんをたくさん撮とった。
I took a lot of photos on the trip.
写しゃ真しんをアルバムに整せい理りする。
I organize photos into an album.

2

noun

movie; moving picture

obsolete termabbreviation

Obsolete abbreviation of 活動写真 (katsudō shashin), an early term for motion pictures. Not used in modern Japanese.

Written forms

写しゃ真しんUsage100%
Standard modern spelling.
寫しゃ眞しんUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Historical kyūjitai spelling; not used in modern writing.
シャシンUsage<1%

Kanji

写copy, be photographed, describe
真true, reality, Buddhist sect
寫be photographed, copy, describe
眞truth, reality, Buddhist sect

Similar words

画が像ぞう
画像 is a broader term for any image, including digital images, illustrations, and on-screen graphics, while 写真 specifically refers to photographs taken with a camera.
活かつ動どう写しゃ真しん
活動写真 is the full historical term for motion pictures; 写真 was its obsolete abbreviation.

Etymology

Coined in Japan as a compound of 写 (sha, 'copy, reflect') and 真 (shin, 'truth, reality'), originally referring to a realistic depiction. Adopted as the standard term for photographs in the late 19th century.