mountain, hill

About this kanji

The kanji 「山」 (yama) means "mountain" or "hill," and it can be used both as a noun and in compound words. For example, 「山登り」 (yamanobori) means "mountain climbing," highlighting an activity associated with mountains. Another common compound is 「火山」 (kazan), which means "volcano," a type of mountain that erupts. You might also come across 「山岳」 (sangaku), which refers to mountainous areas. This kanji is frequently used in names, such as the surname 「山田」 (Yamada), which literally means "rice field at the mountain." Note that while the kanji represents something large and natural, it emphasizes nature's beauty in the Japanese culture.

Example sentences

• 山を登るのが好き。

  I like climbing mountains.

Meanings across languages

English

mountain, hill

Tiếng Việt

núi, đồi

日本語

山（やま）

한국어

산, 언덕

中文

山, 山丘

id

gunung, bukit

th

ภูเขา, เนิน

es

montaña, colina

fr

montagne, colline

de

Berg, Hügel

pt

montanha, colina

Common compounds

• 山登りやまのぼりmountain climbing
• 火山かざんvolcano
• 山岳さんがくmountains, mountain ranges
• 山田やまだYamada (common Japanese surname)

Words using this kanji

Related articles

• JLPT N4 Kanji List: The ~170 New Characters After N5

  N4 adds roughly 170 kanji on top of N5, covering everyday verbs, adjectives, and places. Here's the themed list and how N4 differs from N5.