投影

• Reading: とうえい
• Romaji: toei
• Kanji breakdown: 投 (tou/na) — throw, cast; 影 (ei/kage) — shadow, reflection, image
• Pronunciation: /toː.eː/

Meaning

Projection; reflection; casting (a shadow or image). The act of projecting an image onto a surface, or attributing one's own inner state onto someone or something else.

A suru-verb noun (投影する) used in both its literal sense (projecting a film, shadow, or image onto a surface) and its psychological sense (projecting one's own emotions, fears, or desires onto others). The psychological usage is borrowed from Freudian projection (投影 in Japanese psychology) and is increasingly common in everyday discourse.

Examples

1. 壁に映画の映像を投影して楽しんだ。 They enjoyed projecting film footage onto the wall.
2. 自分の感情を他者に投影することで問題が生じることがある。 Problems can arise when one projects one's own emotions onto others.
3. 子どもへの過度な期待は親自身の夢の投影かもしれない。 Excessive expectations placed on children may be a projection of the parents' own dreams.

Usage Guide

Context: psychology, film, philosophy

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound of 投 (throw, cast) and 影 (shadow, reflection, image). Literally 'casting a shadow' — the image is thrown onto another surface.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal