How to say "silhouette" in Japanese

• 影かげJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounPrimarily 'shadow'; as 'silhouette' it covers the dark shape or figure a person or object makes against light or in the dark.
  その少女しょうじょは自分じぶんの影かげにおびえていた。↗

  The girl was afraid of her own shadow.
• シルエットCommon
  nounThe loanword and the most direct match for 'silhouette': the dark shape of a person or object seen against a lighter background, as in a photograph or picture.
  この服ふくのシルエットが気きに入はいってるの。↗

  I like the silhouette these clothes give me.
• 輪郭りんかくCommon
  nounMeans 'contour' or 'outline'; when it matches 'silhouette' the emphasis is on the line or edge of a shape rather than the dark filled image.
  彼かれはその機械きかいの輪郭りんかくをスケッチします。↗

  He sketches the outline of the machine.
• 影絵かげえCommon
  nounA shadow picture or shadowgraph — a picture created by shadows rather than drawn or photographed; use it for such pictures or the art form, not for an ordinary silhouette in a photo.

Use 「シルエット」 for the dark shape of a person or thing against a lighter background, 輪郭 for the outline or contour itself, 影 for a shadowy figure or shape, and 影絵 when you mean a shadow picture or shadowgraph.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 影かげshadow
• シルエットsilhouette
• 輪郭りんかくcontour
• 影絵かげえshadow picture
• 黒影こくえいsilhouette
• 影像えいぞうsilhouette
• 影法師かげぼうしshadow figure