JapaneseJLPT

Kanji 山 - mountain

Kanji 山 meaning and readings

Kanji 山 means mountain. Onyomi readings are サン (san) . Kunyomi readings are やま (yama).

JLPT N5Grade 1
Stroke order animation for kanji 山

Stroke order animation (3 strokes)

Stroke Order Diagram

Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.

Readings of 山

音On'yomi (音読み)

サン(san)

訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)

やま(yama)
Japanese kanji 山 in different fonts

山 in different fonts

Vocabulary with 山

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mountainyama山やま
Mount Fujifujisan富士山ふじさん
Common words containing the kanji 山

More Information about 山

Common words with 山 (yama/san)

  • 山 (yama)(やま): mountain
  • 火山 (kazan)(かざん): volcano
  • 富士山 (Fujisan)(ふじさん): Mt. Fuji (modern reading ふじさん (fujisan))
  • 山登り (yamanobori)(やまのぼり)/登山 (tozan)(とざん): mountain climbing
  • 山頂 (sanchō)(さんちょう): summit
  • 山道 (yamamichi)(やまみち): mountain path
  • 山手線 (Yamanote-sen)(やまのてせん): Yamanote Line (Tokyo)

Cultural note: 山の日 (Yama no Hi)

8月11日 (hachigatsu jūichinichi) is 山の日 (Yama no Hi)(やまのひ): Japan’s Mountain Day to appreciate mountains—a popular day for hiking and summer trips.

When do we read サン (san)/ザン (zan)?

Many compounds use サン (san): 富士山 (Fujisan) Mt. Fuji, 登山 (tozan) mountain climbing, 山頂 (sanchō) summit. ザン (zan) appears by sound change in some words: 連山 (renzan)(れんざん) mountain range.

Useful expressions with 山 (yama)

  • 山ほどある (yama hodo aru)(やまほどある): there is a mountain of (a lot)
  • 山場 (yamaba)(やまば): climax; critical point
  • 山積み (yamazumi)(やまづみ): piled up (tasks, problems)
  • 山奥 (yamaoku)(やまおく): deep in the mountains

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