幻影|げんえいgen'ei[0]heiban (flat)

1. no-adjectivephantom; vision; illusion
   ほのかな光ひかりが俺おれのねじれた視界しかいを幻影げんえいに変かえてゆく。↗

   Light shines on my sigh of doubt.

• SynonymファントムCasualColloquial loanword for a phantom or ghost, often seen in titles of works; 「幻影」 is the general term.
• Synonym幻覚げんかくNeutralPerceiving something that is not actually there, including auditory hallucinations; 「幻影」 centers on the image.
• SynonymイリュージョンCasualColloquial loanword for an illusion or a large-scale magic show; 「幻影」 is the general term.
• Synonym幻まぼろしNeutralThe most common word; also covers things fleeting or legendary, as in 「幻の名酒」. 「幻影」 leans written.
• Related幻想げんそうNeutralImagining something unrealistic in your head, as in 「幻想を抱く」; 「幻影」 is an illusory image that appears before you.
• Related錯覚さっかくNeutralA perception that does not match reality, or taking it to be so; 「幻影」 is an illusory image that seems to exist.
• Related空想くうそうNeutralImagining things out of thin air, unconnected to reality; 「幻影」 is an image that appears before your eyes or in your mind.
• RelatedビジョンCasualColloquial loanword mostly for a future vision or outlook; rarely used in the sense of an illusory image.
• Related想像そうぞうNeutralPicturing something in your mind; 「幻影」 is a phantom image you seem to see.
• Related虚像きょぞうWrittenWritten word: a virtual image in optics, or figuratively an image at odds with the truth, as in 「スターの虚像」; 「幻影」 is an illusory vision.
• Related夢想むそうWrittenWritten word for dreams and idle fancy, as in 「夢想だにしない」; 「幻影」 is an image that appears before you.
• Related夢幻むげんWrittenWritten word for dreams and illusions, things fleeting and unreal; 「幻影」 is a concrete image that appears.
• RelatedイメージCasualColloquial loanword for an impression or mental image; 「幻影」 carries a stronger sense of unreality.
• RelatedゴーストCasualColloquial loanword for a ghost or ghosting on a screen; 「幻影」 is not specifically about spirits.
• Related幻像げんぞうWrittenWritten word for an illusory image; rare in use, and synonymous with 「幻影」.
• Antonym実像じつぞうWrittenWritten word for a real image or the true picture of something; the opposite of 「幻影」.
• Antonym現実げんじつNeutralThe facts right in front of you; contrasts with the unreality of 「幻影」.

For an illusory shape in everyday speech, use 「幻」; 「幻影」 is the more written word, and also covers images that surface in the mind. If you perceive something that is not there, use 「幻覚」; for imagining unrealistic things, 「幻想」 or 「空想」. Among the loanwords, 「イメージ」 is an impression or mental image, 「ビジョン」 a future vision, 「ゴースト」 a ghost or on-screen ghosting. 「実像」 and 「現実」 are the opposites: the true picture, and reality itself.

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

1. 実在じつざいしないものが実在じつざいするかのように見みえるもの。
2. 心こころの中なかに描き出えがきだされる形かたち。