映画館

• Reading: えいがかん
• Romaji: eigakan
• Kanji breakdown: 映 (ei) — reflect, project; 画 (ga) — picture, drawing; 館 (kan) — hall, building
• Pronunciation: /eː.ɡa.kaɴ/

Meaning

Movie theatre; cinema. A venue for watching films on a large screen.

A compound noun combining 映画 (movie) and 館 (building/hall). In Japan, cinema tickets typically cost around 1,800 yen for adults. Many cinemas offer discount days, such as レディースデー (ladies' day) or ファーストデー (first day of the month).

Examples

1. 友達と映画館で日本の映画を見ました。 I watched a Japanese movie at the movie theater with my friend.
2. あの映画館は席がとても広いです。 That movie theater has very spacious seats.
3. 映画館まで歩いて十分ぐらいです。 It's about a ten-minute walk to the movie theater.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, outings, leisure

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Composed of 映画 (eiga, movie — coined in the Meiji era to describe projected images) and 館 (kan, hall/building). The kanji 映 means to project or reflect, 画 means picture, and 館 means large building.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal