影 — “Shadow / Silhouette / Phantom” in Japanese

Master (高手)えい, かげ

Radical ⼺ · radical 59 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Shadow / Silhouette / Phantom” in Japanese is 影, read ei, kage (えい, かげ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 影響 (influence).

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What does 影 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	影
Meaning	Shadow / Silhouette / Phantom
Readings	えい, かげ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	影響 (influence)

How to read 影

影 is read ei (えい) or kage (かげ) depending on the word.

Words with 影

影響えいきょう
撮影

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Kanji read the same way as 影

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28