Japanese symbol for “picture”
絵
え
Romaji: e
picture; drawing; painting; sketch
In Japanese, picture is 絵, read え (e).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n picture; drawing; painting; sketch
- n image (TV, film, etc.); picture; footage
Written forms: 絵、画. Readings: え、が.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “picture”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写真 | しゃしん shashin | photograph; photo; picture |
| 画像 | がぞう gazou | image; picture; portrait |
| 映像 | えいぞう eizou | image (on a screen); picture (e.g. on a TV) |
| 図 | ず zu | drawing; picture; diagram |
| 絵画 | かいが kaiga | painting; picture |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 絵画 | かいが kaiga | painting; picture |
| 絵本 | えほん ehon | picture book |
| 絵葉書 | えはがき ehagaki | picture postcard |
| 絵の具 | えのぐ enogu | paint; coloring materials; colors |
| 油絵 | あぶらえ aburae | oil painting |
| 絵柄 | えがら egara | pattern; design |
See also: Chinese symbol for “picture”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.