The kanji 映 primarily conveys the idea of "to reflect," "to project," or "to shine upon." It implies light interacting with a surface, creating an image or a visual representation. The core meaning is related to the reflection of light or images, similar to a mirror or a screen.

・On-yomi (音読み): エイ (ei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): うつ-る (utsu-ru) - to be reflected, to be projected; うつ-す (utsu-su) - to reflect, to project

⚫︎ 映画 (eiga) Translation: Movie; Film ⚫︎ 反映 (han'ei) Translation: Reflection; To reflect; To mirror ⚫︎ 上映 (jouei) Translation: Showing (a film); Screening

The kanji 映 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). It combines the radical 日 (hi, "sun" or "day") with the phonetic component 央 (ou, which provides the sound and hints at the meaning). The 日 (sun) suggests light and the interaction with a surface, leading to the meaning of "to reflect" or "to shine upon."