The word 画像 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core concept to create a new, unified meaning. The first character, 画 (huà), means "to draw" or "a painting", establishing the action or medium. The second character, 像 (xiàng), means "portrait", "image", or "likeness", defining the subject or result. Together, they conceptually merge into a single entity: the act and outcome fuse to mean "a drawn portrait" or "a pictorial likeness", where the whole represents the specific product of the depicted action.