1.
photo studio; room equipped for taking photographs
A dedicated room or small studio for taking photographs, typically equipped with backgrounds, lighting, and a camera setup. Found inside department stores, hotels, schools, hospitals, and government offices, 写真室 is often used for ID photos, portraits, and commemorative pictures. Distinct from the freestanding commercial 写真館 ('photo studio'), which is a whole shop rather than a room within a larger facility.
Compound of 写真 ('photograph') and 室 ('room'). The suffix 〜室 names rooms dedicated to a particular purpose: 会議室 ('meeting room'), 研究室 ('laboratory; research office'), 保健室 ('school nurse's office'), 資料室 ('reference room').
Usage
- Common verbs: で撮る / してもらう ('to take / have taken'), を利用する ('to use'), を予約する ('to book').
- Often found inside larger institutions: 病院の写真室, 大学の写真室, 市役所の写真室.
- The purpose is usually specified by context: 証明写真 ('ID photo'), 家族写真 ('family portrait'), 記念写真 ('commemorative photo').
Common collocations
- 写真室で撮影する: to take photos at the studio
- 写真室を予約する: to book the photo studio
- 写真室付き: with a photo studio attached
- 院内の写真室: the in-hospital photo studio
- 写真室の受付: the photo studio reception
Similar words
- 写真館: photo studio — a standalone commercial studio, typically a family-run shop specializing in portraits.
- スタジオ: studio — loanword; broader, covering photo, video, and music studios.
- 暗室: darkroom — a room for developing photographs, not for taking them.
- 撮影室: photography/filming room — close synonym; slightly more formal and often used for industrial or medical imaging contexts.