岩 means “rock, boulder”

いわ · iwa

Also: cliff

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いわ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ガン

Taught in grade 2 · 8 strokes

The story

A mountain (山) topped with stone (石): massive boulders crowning a peak. Japanese rock gardens (枯山水, karesansui) transform rough 岩 into meditative art. At Ryōan-ji temple in Kyoto, fifteen rocks arranged on white gravel have puzzled and calmed visitors for over 500 years.

Used in 岩石 (ganseki, rock/stone), 溶岩 (yougan, lava), and 岩場 (iwaba, rocky area)

More from Earth & Minerals

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• 鉄 iron
• 穴 hole
• 原 plain
• 銅 copper
• 炭 charcoal
• 泥 mud
• 宝 treasure
• 陸 land
• 掘 dig
• 鋼 steel
• 層 layer

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

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.