壁画

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 壁画 (へきが) is a compound noun for a large picture painted directly on a wall or wall surface.
• Basic usage: 壁画には四季が描かれる makes the mural the surface containing seasonal imagery, while 壁に壁画を制作する makes the artwork created by students on a school wall the object.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Depicted content and wall substrate
  • 壁画には introduces content within the artwork, while 壁に壁画を separates the wall as substrate from the mural as product. The wall and the artwork should not be treated as one noun.