影・景|かげkage[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounshadow; silhouette; figure; shape
   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.
2. nounreflection; image
   水みずたまりに映うつった影かげが見みえた。↗

   Reflections could be seen in the puddles.
3. nounominous sign
4. nounlight (stars, moon)
5. nountrace; shadow (of one's former self)
6. nounbehind; background; other sidenon-standard; usu. written as 陰

• SynonymシルエットNeutralLoanword for a silhouette or outline; also the overall line of a garment, as in 「シルエットが美しい」.
• SynonymシャドーNeutralLoanword mostly seen in compounds such as 「アイシャドー」「シャドーボクシング」.
• Synonym陰影いんえいWrittenLight and shade, shadows; figuratively the subtle depth of a piece of writing or a personality, as in 「陰影に富む」.
• Synonym陰かげNeutralA shaded spot out of the light, or behind something, as in 「木の陰」「陰で悪口を言う」; 「影」 is the shape an object casts.
• Synonym陰りかげりNeutralA shadow; often figurative for momentum or happiness starting to fade, as in 「景気に陰りが見える」.
• Synonym影法師かげぼうしNeutralA human shadow cast on the ground or a wall; carries a fairy-tale, literary flavor. 「影」 covers a much wider range of senses.
• Related陰かげNeutralA shaded spot out of the light, or behind something, as in 「木の陰」「陰で悪口を言う」; 「影」 is the shape an object casts.
• Related日陰ひかげNeutralA place the sun doesn't reach, as in 「日陰で休む」; also figuratively a position that gets little attention.
• Related暗闇くらやみNeutralDarkness with no light at all, as in 「暗闇の中」; 「影」 is the projection formed when something blocks light.
• Related闇やみNeutralDarkness itself; also figuratively what hides from the light of day or despair, as in 「闇取引」「心の闇」.
• Related幻影げんえいWrittenAn image that seems visible though nothing is there, as in 「幻影を見る」; 「影」 usually means a shadow or reflection cast by light.
• Related物陰ものかげNeutralA spot hidden from view behind objects, as in 「物陰に隠れる」; the emphasis is on a hiding place.
• RelatedファントムNeutralLoanword for a phantom or ghost; mostly seen in titles of works and rare in everyday speech.
• Related冥暗めいあんWrittenWritten/formal prose for deep gloom; can also evoke the bewilderment of the netherworld. Rare in modern Japanese.
• Related黒闇こくあんWrittenWritten, Buddhist term for pitch-black darkness; in everyday speech say 「暗闇」.
• Related暗がりくらがりNeutralA dim place, as in 「暗がりで本を読む」; also somewhere out of people's sight. Close in sense to 「暗闇」.
• Related影像えいぞうWrittenWritten/formal prose for a painted or carved image of a deity or person, or a reflected figure. Much less common than 「影」; everyday shadows take 「影」.
• Related幻像げんぞうWrittenWritten/formal prose for an image seen in a vision or hallucination; synonymous with 「幻影」, not a real cast shadow.
• Related片陰かたかげWrittenWritten/formal prose for a shaded spot, often the cool shade beside a building on a summer afternoon.

For the shape an object casts, use 「影」. For a shaded spot out of the sun use 「陰」 or 「日陰」, and for total darkness 「暗闇」 or 「闇」. 「影法師」 is a literary human shadow; 「シルエット」 is a silhouette or a garment's line; 「物陰」 a hiding spot; 「陰り」 signals decline. Written terms include 「冥暗」「黒闇」「影像」「幻像」「片陰」「陰影」; 「幻影」 and 「ファントム」 are phantoms, 「暗がり」 a dim place, and 「シャドー」 lives in compounds.

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

1. かげ。表ひょうに出でないこと。