山 means “mountain”

やま · yama

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): やま
On'yomi (Chinese reading): サン, セン

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 1 · 3 strokes

The story

Mount Fuji stands eternal, its snow-capped peak a symbol of Japan's enduring spirit.

Found in countless place names across Japan

Where it comes from

Pictographic (象形文字): Three mountain peaks rising from the earth.

Ancient scribes looked at a mountain range and drew exactly what they saw: three peaks. The center peak is tallest, flanked by two smaller ones. After millennia, the character barely changed. Mountains are eternal.

To remember it: Three peaks: the tall center stroke is the summit, the two side strokes are the ridgeline.

Its parts

山 Mountain · Entire character

A pictograph of three mountain peaks

Words with 山

火山 (かざん, kazan): volcano
雪山 (ゆきやま, yukiyama): snowy mountain
氷山 (ひょうざん, hyouzan): iceberg
山川 (さんせん, sansen): mountains and rivers
山海 (さんかい, sankai): mountains and sea
山野 (さんや, sanya): mountains and fields
石山 (いしやま, ishiyama): rocky mountain

Example sentences

富士山に登りたいです。 I want to climb Mount Fuji.
山の空気は新鮮です。 The mountain air is fresh.
あの山は高いですね。 That mountain is tall, isn't it?

Kanji that look like 山

出 (exit / go out): 出 has two overlapping mountain-like shapes: pushing outward
岩 (rock): 岩 puts 山 on top of 石: a rocky mountain

More from Nature's Poetry

Learn 山 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji