似顔|にがおnigao[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounportrait; likeness

• Synonym似顔絵にがおえNeutralThe everyday word for a picture of someone's face, often a lighthearted, caricature-style one, as in 「似顔絵を描く」; 「似顔」 mostly appears in compounds or writing.
• Synonym肖像しょうぞうNeutralA written, formal-sounding word for a portrait, photos included; common in compounds like 「肖像権」 and 「肖像画」 rather than casual speech.
• SynonymポートレートNeutralA loanword for a portrait, most often heard in photography, as in 「ポートレート撮影」; it can still mean a painted portrait, so it is not limited to photos.
• Synonym肖像画しょうぞうがWrittenA written word for a picture portraying someone's appearance, regardless of medium; more dignified than 「似顔絵」.
• Related画像がぞうNeutralCovers images and pictures in general, e.g. 「画像を保存」; leans toward digital images and is far broader than 「似顔」.
• Related似絵にせえWrittenA written, art-history term for the portrait style popular among court nobles in the Kamakura period; not for everyday use.
• Related影像えいぞうWrittenA written word for images of Buddhas, gods or people, or for a silhouette; rarely used in modern Japanese.
• Related真影しんえいFormalA formal word for a lifelike portrait or photograph; in the past 「御真影」 referred specifically to photos of the Emperor and Empress.

For a drawn likeness of a face, 「似顔絵」 is the everyday word, as in 「似顔絵を描いてもらう」; 「似顔」 alone mostly appears in compounds. Use 「肖像」 in formal writing, 「ポートレート」 for portrait photos, and 「画像」 for digital images; the rest are specialized or dated.

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

1. 人ひとの顔かおや姿すがたを絵えや写真しゃしんで表あらわしたもの。