写真を見せる

The word '写真' (shashin) meaning 'photograph' is a compound of '写' (sha), meaning 'to copy' or 'to reproduce', and '真' (shin), meaning 'truth' or 'reality'. It was coined in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912) to translate the Western concept of 'photography'. The verb '見せる' (miseru) means 'to show' or 'to display'. It has existed in the Japanese language for a very long time, with its roots tracing back to Old Japanese. The combination of '写真' and '見せる' thus literally means 'to show a reproduced truth/reality', which accurately describes the act of displaying a photograph.