Shashin is the Japanese word for ‘photo’, ‘snap’, or ‘picture’, explained

What does “shashin” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “shashin” to mean ‘photo’, ‘snap’, or ‘picture’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, songs, and the like. 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 “shashin” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “shashin”
• Shashin in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “photo” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “shashin”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “shashin”

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

• shashin – 写真 (しゃしん) : a noun meaning ‘photo’, ‘snap’, or ‘picture’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Again, but native speakers use this noun to refer to photos, snaps, or pictures in Japanese. Its usage is similar to those of the English words.

The definition and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Shashin in kanji

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

• 写 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to the act of copying, projecting, shooting, or filming.
• 真 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to the truth or reality. This can also work as a prefix to emphasize its following word with the nuance of ‘truly’. This kanji can also be found in other words like “mayonaka“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shashin” literally means a copy of the truth. In the Japanese language, therefore, photos are considered as copies of the truth. I love this kanji concept. It would work really well unless photo editing softwares are used.

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 expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shashin” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “shashin” through the example sentences below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to say “this” in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kore” to make the subject in the sentence.
• koibito – 恋人 (こいびと) : a noun meaning ‘girlfriend’, ‘boyfriend’, or ‘lover’ regardless of the gender in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “koibito” and “shashin”. The formed phrase literally means ‘a photo of (my) girlfriend’. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is very similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• 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 the noun phrase, “koibito no shashin”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “shashin”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “koibito no shashin”, which means ‘a photo of (my) girlfriend’ in Japanese. When we want to say “photo” in Japanese, this noun is the best option.

Example #2: another usage of “shashin”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, it works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• tsuki – 月 (つき) : a noun meaning ‘moon’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shashin” to make the object in the sentence.
• tori – 撮り (とり) : one conjugation of the verb, “toru”, which means ‘to shoot’, ‘to film’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “tori” to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after the verb phrase, “tori mashi”, to make its past tense form, “tori mashi ta”, which means ‘to have taken’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “shashin”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “shashin wo tori mashi ta”, which means ‘to have taken a photo’ in Japanese. This expression should be learnt together with the basic one, “shashin wo toru”, which means ‘to take a photo’ in Japanese.

Summary

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

• shashin – 写真 (しゃしん) : a noun meaning ‘photo’, ‘snap’, or ‘picture’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean a copy of the truth. So, in the Japanese language, photos are considered as copies of the truth.
• shashin wo toru – 写真を撮る (しゃしんをとる) : a Japanese expression for ‘to take a photo’. This can mean ‘to take photos’ as well. When we want to say “take a photo” or “take photos” in Japanese, this expression would be the best choice.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.