Shashin is the Japanese word for ‘photo’, explained

What does “shashin” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers use shashin often to mean a ‘photo’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I’m explaining this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’m explaining how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand shashin more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “shashin”
• Shashin in kanji
  • How to say “photo” in Japanese
  • Another example 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 a ‘photo’, ‘snap’, or ‘picture’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. 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 kanji characters:

• 写 : a kanji character often used to refer to the act of copying, projecting, shooting, or filming.
• 真 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘truth’ in Japanese. This 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 Japanese. So, photos are considered as copies of the truth in Japanese. 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 the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of shashin through the detailed kanji check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of shashin together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

How to say “photo” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘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 a ‘girlfriend’, ‘boyfriend’, or ‘partner’ 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’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is 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 the 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 mean a ‘photo’ or ‘photos’ in Japanese, this noun is always a very good option.

Another example 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 almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to mean ‘yesterday’ in Japanese.
• tsuki – 月 (つき) : a noun meaning ‘the 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. 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 the Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after tori mashi to make its past tense form, tori mashi ta, which means ‘to have taken’ in Japanese.

This is another example of shashin. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, shashin wo tori mashi ta, which means ‘to have taken a photo’ in Japanese. This phrase should be learnt together with the very 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 the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

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

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.