boulder, rock, cliff
On'yomi (音読み)
- ガン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- いわ
About this kanji
The kanji 岩 represents the concepts of boulder, rock, or cliff. It is mainly used as a noun, describing solid geological formations. You can find it in several common compounds, such as 溶岩 (ようがん), which means lava, or 岩山 (いわやま), meaning rocky mountain. Another example is 岩石 (がんせき), which refers to rock in general. A useful note is that 岩 can describe not only large stones but also can evoke a sense of natural beauty or grandeur in landscapes. As you learn about nature in Japanese, 岩 will often appear in discussions about mountains and the outdoors.
Example sentences
山の岩が崩れないように注意しよう。
Be careful not to let the rocks on the mountain collapse.
Meanings across languages
- English
- boulder, rock, cliff
- Tiếng Việt
- khối đá, tảng đá, vách đá
- 日本語
- 岩石, 岩, 崖
- 한국어
- 바위, 돌, 절벽
- 中文
- 岩石, 石头, 悬崖
- id
- batu
- th
- หิน
- es
- roca
- fr
- roche
- de
- Fels
- pt
- rocha
Common compounds
- 溶岩ようがんlava
- 岩間いわまamong rocks
- 岩山いわやまrocky mountain
- 岩石がんせきrock
- 岩盤がんばんbedrock
- 一枚岩いちまいいわmonolith, large slab of rock, unity (of a group, organization, etc.)
- 岩場いわばrocky area, rocky tract, rocky stretch (of a climb)
- 岩屋いわやcavern, grotto
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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