似顔絵

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 似顔絵 is read as にがおえ and is a noun for a portrait sketch or caricature that captures a person’s facial features.
• Basic usage: A friend drawing one’s portrait appears in 私の似顔絵を描く, while displaying humorous caricatures appears in 愉快な似顔絵を展示する.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Likeness and exaggeration
  • It is not limited to exaggerated cartoons and also includes a recognizable likeness of the face.
• Difference from 肖像画
  • Compared with the term for a formal painted portrait, this word readily describes a sketch or caricature capturing facial features.