1.
painter, artist (traditional)
A traditional Japanese painter or artist, especially one who created ukiyo-e woodblock prints or other classical artwork.
浮世絵師として有名な絵師だ。
He is a painter famous as an ukiyo-e artist.
江戸時代には多くの絵師が活躍した。
Many artists were active during the Edo period.
狩野派の絵師は幕府に仕えていた。
Artists of the Kano school served the shogunate.
2.
illustrator, digital artist
In modern usage, a person who draws illustrations, especially digital art for anime, manga, games, or online media. The most common meaning in contemporary Japanese.
好きな絵師の新作が出た。
A new work by my favorite illustrator came out.
SNSで人気の絵師をフォローしている。
I follow a popular illustrator on social media.
このゲームの絵師は誰か知っていますか。
Do you know who the illustrator for this game is?
USAGE:
The modern sense (digital illustrator) is now the dominant meaning, especially online. Fans of anime, manga, and games frequently use 絵師 to refer to the artists who draw characters and illustrations. On social media platforms like Twitter/X and Pixiv, 絵師 is the standard term for illustrators.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- イラストレーター: illustrator (loanword, more professional/commercial)
- 画家: painter, artist (fine arts)
- 漫画家: manga artist
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人気絵師: popular illustrator
- 絵師さん: illustrator (polite/friendly)
- 推し絵師: favorite illustrator
- プロの絵師: professional illustrator