発光

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 発光(はっこう) means emitting light.
• Basic usage: 発光する describes luminous paint in darkness or a sea creature giving off light.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Light emission versus 反射
  • 反射(はんしゃ) is the return of light received from elsewhere. 発光 focuses on light being emitted by the subject, rather than its appearing bright through reflection.