Meaning

Primary

To Be Photographed

Alternative

To Be In A Photograph

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means copy, but what is a copy? It is basically a photograph, which is why this word means to be photographed, or to be in a photograph. You know this one is "to be photographed" because it ends with a . Someone thinks you're "rude" so they're photographing you.

Reading

うつる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

You have to remember the うつ part. You're being rude, right? That's why you got photographed. Why are you rude? You're doing beatboxing, constantly saying うつうつうつ over and over again. Say it out loud, too.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 人が写る

    to have a person appear in a photograph, to have a person reflected

    かおが写る

    to have a face appear in a photograph, to have a face reflected

    ものが写る

    to have something appear in a photograph, to have something reflected

Context Sentences

父はビデオに写るのがきらいです。

My father doesn't like to be in videos.

白い花は、ウェディングフォトに写っていない。

White flowers are not in the wedding photo.

このカメラでは、木や山がよく写る。

You can take good pictures of trees and mountains with this camera.

Kanji Composition