How do you say "picture" in Japanese?

写真

shashin

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "picture" is 写真 (shashin).

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Pronunciation

写真 is written using kanji. Romanised as shashin, it sounds roughly like "shah-shee-n" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Shashin combines kanji for photography (写) and truth (真). The compound shows a picture captures truth or reality visually.

Example sentence

机の上に写真があります。

Tsukue no ue ni Shashin ga arimasu.

There is a picture on the desk.

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How to remember 写真

Photo (sha) + truth (shin) = photograph. A picture captures the true moment in time frozen forever.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more house words.

Questions about 写真

How do you pronounce 写真?

写真 is romanised as shashin. Say it roughly like "shah-shee-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 写真 formal or casual?

写真 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 写真 written in Japanese?

写真 is written using kanji. Shashin combines kanji for photography (写) and truth (真).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Picture" in other languages

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