The kanji 影 影 primarily means "shadow," "shade," or "reflection." It refers to the dark shape cast by an object blocking light. It can also figuratively represent something that is intangible or a trace of something.

・On-yomi (音読み): エイ (ei) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かげ (kage)

⚫︎ 影影絵 Translation: silhouette; shadow picture. ⚫︎ 背影 Translation: background; back view. ⚫︎ 映影響 Translation: influence; effect.

The kanji 影 影 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The left side is the radical 日 (ひ, hi), meaning "sun" or "day," and the right side is 京 (きょう, kyou), which originally represented a high place or tower. Together, the components suggest light (sun) and the effect of light, thus representing the shadow cast by the light. The idea is that light, coming from a high place like the sun, creates a shadow.