slope, incline, hill

About this kanji

The kanji 坂 (saka) means slope, incline, or hill. It is commonly used as a noun to describe a sloping terrain, like a hill or road. You might see it in compounds such as 坂道 (sakamichi), meaning hill road, which refers to a road that goes up and down hills. Another example is 下り坂 (kudarizaka), which means downhill, describing the downward slope of a path. On the other hand, 上り坂 (noborizaka) means ascent, indicating an upward slope. A quick note: when you encounter 坂, it often indicates a change in elevation, so it's useful for understanding directions in hilly areas.

Example sentences

• 急な坂を上るのは大変だ。

  Climbing a steep slope is tough.

Meanings across languages

English

slope, incline, hill

Tiếng Việt

dốc, nghiêng, đồi

日本語

坂, 傾斜, 丘

한국어

경사, 기울기, 언덕

中文

坡, 倾斜, 小山

id

lereng

th

เนิน

es

pendiente

fr

pente

de

Hang

pt

inclinação

Common compounds

• 坂道さかみちhill road
• 下り坂くだりざかdownhill, downward slope, descent
• 上り坂のぼりざかascent, uphill, upward slope
• 下坂しもさかdownhill, decline, waning
• 急坂きゅうはんsteep slope, steep hill
• 登坂とうはんclimbing a slope (hill), ascending a hill
• 女坂おんなざかgentler of two paths (leading up to a shrine or temple)
• 男坂おとこざかsteeper of two paths (leading up to a shrine or temple)

Words using this kanji