Japanese symbol for “shading”
陰影
いんえい
Romaji: in'ei
shadow; shade; shading; gloom
In Japanese, shading is 陰影, read いんえい (in'ei).
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 shadow; shade; shading; gloom
- n nuance; shades of meaning; subtleties
Written forms: 陰影、陰翳. Readings: いんえい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “shading”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遮光 | しゃこう shakou | shading; shielding from light |
| 遮蔽 | しゃへい shahei | shielding; sheltering; screening |
| 隈取り | くまどり kumadori | shading; (colour) gradation |
| 隈 | くま kuma | shading; gradation |
| シェーディング | シェーディング sheedingu | shading |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 陰謀 | いんぼう inbou | plot; intrigue; scheme |
| 日陰 | ひかげ hikage | shade; shadow |
| 陰陽 | いんよう in'you | cosmic dual forces; yin and yang; sun and moon |
| 陰性 | いんせい insei | negative (result) |
| 木陰 | こかげ kokage | shade of a tree; bower |
| 山陰 | やまかげ yamakage | place in the shade of a mountain; shelter of the mountains |
| 影響 | えいきょう eikyou | influence; effect; impact |
| 撮影 | さつえい satsuei | photography (still or motion); photographing; filming |
See also: Chinese symbol for “shading”.
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.