映 · to reflect, project

JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.

映 means to reflect, project. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 9 strokes, read えい or うつる. It is built from 2 parts: 日 (day, sun), 央 (center, middle). It appears in 映画 (movie / film) and 映画館 (movie theater / cinema).

筆順 · Stroke order

映 is written in 9 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.

解字 · What it is made of

映 breaks into 2 parts.

• 日 semantic day, sun · left carries the meaning
• 央 other center, middle · right component

Words that use 映

Word	Reading	Meaning
映画	えいが	movie / film
映画館	えいがかん	movie theater / cinema
反映	はんえい	reflection / influence

Built from the same parts

These use 日 or 央 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.

• 時time
• 曜day of week
• 書to write
• 明bright
• 早early
• 春springtime
• 者someone
• 音sound

Practise 映

Sumi teaches the character before it tests you: stroke order animated, the breakdown above shown as a pull-apart X-ray, then spaced review. Free, in your browser, no signup.

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