絵

Glyph origin
.

Kanji

 * 1) picture

Etymology 1
→

From. The reading, so likely the initial borrowing.

Compare 🇨🇬.

Noun

 * 1) picture, painting
 * 2) drawing, sketch

Usage notes

 * The kanji and  (also pronounced e, but can also be pronounced as ga), both having the same meanings and on-readings, can be confusing. While  is used to mean pictures in the "drawn" sense (for example,, "illustration"), it can also refer to art in front of the speaker, such as  or .  refers to art by extension, for example, . Sometimes, both kanji can be interchanged, an example being ,

Idioms

 * ; see also

Etymology 2
From. The reading, so likely a later borrowing.

Affix

 * 1) picture, painting, drawing, sketch