Eiga is the Japanese word for ‘movie’ or ‘motion picture’, explained

What does “eiga” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “eiga” to mean ‘movie’ or ‘motion picture’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “eiga” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “eiga”
• Eiga in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “movies” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “eiga”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “eiga”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “eiga”.

• eiga – 映画 (えいが) : a noun meaning ‘movie’ or ‘motion picture’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to consecutive images or pictures shown at the cinema.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Eiga in kanji

The kanji expression of “eiga” consists of the following two characters:

• 映 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of projecting or casting.
• 画 : a kanji character widely used to mean a picture or image in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “eiga” literally means a projected picture. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very close, I think. Movies are more or less projected pictures at the cinema.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “eiga” through the detailed kanji check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “movies” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is mainly used by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “eiga” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “eiga”. In this example, it works as plural to mean ‘movies’ in Japanese. When we want to say “movie” or “movies” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “eiga”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• maishuu – 毎週 (まいしゅう) : a noun meaning ‘every week’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “every week” in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “eiga” to make the object in the sentence.
• miru – 見る (みる) : a verb meaning ‘to see’, ‘to look’, ‘to watch’, or such in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “eiga”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “eiga wo miru”, which means ‘to see a movie’ in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “eiga” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• eiga – 映画 (えいが) : a noun meaning ‘movie’ or ‘motion picture’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to consecutive images or pictures shown at the cinema. These two kanji characters literally mean a projected picture in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the meanings. When we want to say “movie” or “movies” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
• eiga wo miru – 映画を見る (えいがをみる) : a commonly-used expression meaning ‘to see a movie’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.