写真 vs 絵
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
写真 is an image made by a camera — a photo. 絵 is an image made by hand — a drawing, painting or illustration. The word tells you how the image was produced, so a phone snapshot is always 写真 and a digital illustration is always 絵.
When to use each
写真
しゃしん
Use 写真 for anything captured with a camera, including phone photos, prints and photos on a screen. It takes the verb 撮る, never 描く.
ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。
ここでしゃしんをとってもいいですか。
May I take a photo here?
これは去年の夏の写真です。
これはきょねんのなつのしゃしんです。
This is a photo from last summer.
絵
え
Use 絵 for an image someone drew or painted — by hand, with a pen, or on a tablet. It takes 描く, and covers everything from a child's doodle to a museum painting.
子どもが犬の絵を描いています。
こどもがいぬのえをかいています。
The child is drawing a picture of a dog.
この絵は百年前のものです。
このえはひゃくねんまえのものです。
This painting is a hundred years old.
Sentences where only one works
壁に家族の写真がかけてあります。
かべにかぞくのしゃしんがかけてあります。
There is a family photo hanging on the wall.
A photograph of the family, so 写真. 絵 would mean someone painted a portrait of them.
妹は絵が上手です。
いもうとはえがじょうずです。
My younger sister is good at drawing.
This praises drawing skill. 写真が上手 is also possible, but it means she is good at photography — a different talent.
この本は絵がたくさんあって読みやすいです。
このほんはえがたくさんあってよみやすいです。
This book has lots of pictures, so it is easy to read.
Illustrations in a book are drawn, so 絵 — which is why a picture book is 絵本.
Common mistakes
絵を撮ってください。
写真を撮ってください。
撮る is the camera verb. Asking someone to 絵を撮る sounds like you want a photograph of a painting, not a picture of you.
写真を描きました。
写真を撮りました。／絵を描きました。
描く means to draw, so it cannot take 写真. Pick the verb that matches the noun.
Frequently asked questions
Is a picture I made on my tablet a 絵 or a 写真?
絵. The distinction is drawn versus photographed, not paper versus screen.
How do I say "picture" when I do not know which it is?
画像 (がぞう) is the neutral word for an image of either kind, and is what appears on websites and phone menus.