Details
Description
Mountain - three peaks in a row. In Japan mountains are not scenery but sacred ground and places of training.
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Pictograph depicting three connected mountain peaks.
Symbolism
Nature, sacred, place of training. Deeply rooted in Japanese culture as objects of mountain worship.
Spiritual Meaning
Sacred dwelling place of gods in Shinto. Mountain worship forms the basis of Shugendō; the spirituality of "mountains as sacred grounds" is deeply rooted in Japanese culture.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Aiming for the mountain peak
Component Breakdown
Mountain (base form)
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
海千山千
うみせんやません
cunning and experienced in the ways of the world; crafty and worldly-wise; sly old (fox)
山紫水明
さんしすいめい
scenic beauty
物見遊山
ものみゆさん
going on a pleasure jaunt
深山幽谷
しんざんゆうこく
deep mountain valleys
泰山北斗
たいざんほくと
great authority; eminent person; luminary
風林火山
ふうりんかざん
as fast as the wind, as quiet as the forest, as daring as fire, and immovable as the mountain
山川草木
さんせんそうもく
nature; natural scenery
大山鳴動
たいざんめいどう
big fuss over nothing; much cry and little wool; much ado about nothing
千山万水
せんざんばんすい
many mountains and rivers; a great distance to travel
雲雨巫山
うんうふざん
sexual liaison
高山流水
こうざんりゅうすい
high mountains and running water; the beauty of nature; beautifully (skillfully) played music
山容水態
さんようすいたい
scenic beauty of mountains and streams; fresh and clear beauty of nature's splendor
屍山血河
しざんけつが
heaps of bodies and streams of blood; fierce battle
抜山蓋世
ばつざんがいせい
great strength and energy (of a mighty hero); Herculean strength and vitality
巫山雲雨
ふざんうんう
sexual liaison
泰山圧卵
たいざんあつらん
the strong overwhelming the weak; completing various things without difficulty; Mt. Tai crushes an egg
Proverbs & Idioms
山あり谷あり
やまありたにあり
Mountains and valleys
Life has its ups and downs
塵も積もれば山となる
ちりもつもればやまとなる
Even dust piles up to make a mountain
Small efforts accumulate to great results
Poetry
春すぎて 夏来にけらし 白妙の 衣ほすてふ 天の香具山
Spring has gone and summer seems to have come — white robes are spread to dry, they say, on Mount Amanokagu.
あしびきの 山鳥の尾の しだり尾の ながながし夜を ひとりかも寝む
Long as the trailing tail of the mountain pheasant is this long, long night. Must I sleep through it alone?
奥山に もみぢ踏み分け 鳴く鹿の 声聞く時ぞ 秋は悲しき
Deep in the hills a stag treads through fallen maple leaves and cries. Hearing it, autumn is saddest of all.
天の原 ふりさけ見れば 春日なる 三笠の山に 出でし月かも
Gazing far across the plain of heaven — is this the same moon that rose over Mount Mikasa at Kasuga?
わが庵は 都のたつみ しかぞすむ 世をうぢ山と 人はいふなり
My hut lies southeast of the capital and here I live content, yet people call it Mount Uji, the hill of gloom.
立ち別れ いなばの山の 峰に生ふる まつとし聞かば 今帰り来む
Though I leave for Mount Inaba, if I hear that you are waiting, like the pines on its peak, I will come straight back.
吹くからに 秋の草木の しをるれば むべ山風を 嵐といふらむ
No sooner does it blow than the autumn grasses wither — no wonder they write the mountain wind as 'storm'.
このたびは ぬさもとりあへず 手向山 紅葉のにしき 神のまにまに
This journey left no time to prepare offerings. Take instead, O gods, the brocade of maple leaves on Mount Tamuke.
名にしおはば 逢坂山の さねかづら 人に知られで くるよしもがな
If it lives up to its name — the vine of Mount Osaka, the hill of meeting — let it bring you to me unseen.
小倉山 峰のもみぢ葉 心あらば 今ひとたびの みゆき待たなむ
Maple leaves on the peak of Ogura, if you have any heart, wait for one more imperial visit before you fall.
山里は 冬ぞさびしさ まさりける 人めも草も かれぬと思へば
A mountain village is loneliest in winter, when I think how both the visitors and the grasses have gone.
山川に 風のかけたる しがらみは 流れもあへぬ 紅葉なりけり
The weir the wind has thrown across the mountain stream turns out to be maple leaves, unable to flow on.
契りきな かたみに袖を しぼりつつ 末の松山 波越さじとは
Did we not promise, wringing out each other's sleeves, that waves would never cross Sue-no-Matsuyama?
ありま山 ゐなの笹原 風吹けば いでそよ人を 忘れやはする
When the wind blows through the bamboo grass of Ina, below Mount Arima — well then, could I ever forget you?
大江山 いく野の道の 遠ければ まだふみも見ず 天の橋立
Mount Oe and the road through Ikuno are far. I have never set foot there, nor even seen a letter from Amanohashidate.
もろともに あはれと思へ 山桜 花よりほかに 知る人もなし
Mountain cherry, feel for me as I feel for you. Here there is no one who knows me but your blossoms.
あらし吹く み室の山の もみぢ葉は 竜田の川の 錦なりけり
The maple leaves blown from Mount Mimuro by the storm have become the brocade of the Tatsuta River.
高砂の をのへの桜 咲きにけり 外山のかすみ 立たずもあらなむ
The cherries on the high slopes of Takasago have bloomed. May the mist on the nearer hills not rise to hide them.
憂かりける 人を初瀬の 山おろしよ はげしかれとは 祈らぬものを
Wind off the mountains of Hatsuse, I prayed that she might soften toward me, not that you should blow so fiercely.
世の中よ 道こそなけれ 思ひ入る 山の奥にも 鹿ぞ鳴くなる
There is no road out of this world. Even deep in the mountains where I fled, a stag is crying.
み吉野の 山の秋風 さ夜ふけて ふるさと寒く 衣うつなり
Autumn wind off the mountains of Yoshino; the night deepens, the old village is cold, and someone is beating cloth.
Anime & Manga
山田くんとLv999の恋をする
My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999
A well-known work with 山 in its Japanese title.
山田くんと7人の魔女
Yamada and the Seven Witches
A well-known work with 山 in its Japanese title.
潔癖男子! 青山くん
Clean Freak! Aoyama kun
A well-known work with 山 in its Japanese title.
最果てのパラディン 鉄錆の山の王
The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountains
A well-known work with 山 in its Japanese title.
神々の山嶺
The Summit of the Gods
A well-known work with 山 in its Japanese title.
Games
登山の達人/風来のシレン
Shiren the Wanderer(1995)
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Roguelike RPG conquering dungeons (mountains).
View on Amazon →Related Figures & Stories
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 山 mean in Japanese?
山 means mountain. Mountain - three peaks in a row. In Japan mountains are not scenery but sacred ground and places of training.
How do you read 山?
On'yomi: サン、セン (SAN, SEN). Kun'yomi: やま (yama).
How many strokes does 山 have?
山 has 3 strokes. Its radical is 山 (mountain).
Is 山 a good kanji for a tattoo?
山 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means mountain. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:mountain