JAPANAN 日本語
Native Speaker Kanji Series
3 strokes
山 (mountain)
Core Meaning
mountain
やま（名）
音読み On-yomi
サン
- 山頂さんちょうmountaintop
- 火山かざんvolcano
- 富士山ふじさんMt. Fuji
訓読み Kun-yomi
やま
- 山やまmountain
- 山道やまみちmountain path
- 山登りやまのぼりmountain climbing
Etymology — pictographic origin
origin
Memory Hook
3 strokes, 3 peaks — count them! サン also means 3 in Japanese. Picture three peaks and say サン・やま.
Writing Practice — tap to watch, trace, or quiz yourself
Touch Practice
Tap Watch to see the stroke order, or Practice to write 山 from memory.
Exercises
✦ Reading — write how to read the highlighted kanji
1
この山はとてもたかいです。
This mountain is very tall.
2
あの山にゆきがあります。
There is snow on that mountain.
✦ Writing — write the correct kanji in the blank
3
あのは うつくしいです。
That mountain is beautiful.
4
このに のぼりたいです。
I want to climb this mountain.
文化ノート
Cultural Note
Mountains in Japanese life
Japan is 73% mountains — more than Switzerland! 山 appears everywhere in daily life: 山登り (やまのぼり, hiking), 山の手 (やまのて, upscale Tokyo), and the bold idiom 山をかける (やまをかける, to take a big gamble). Mountains don't just define the landscape — they shape the language.
やまのぼり · hiking
やまのて · uptown Tokyo
やまをかける · take a gamble
Native Speaker's NoteWhat your textbook won't tell you
①
やま vs さん — Use やま as a standalone word. Use さん in place names and compounds: 富士山 (ふじさん), 火山 (かざん).✓ あの山(やま) ✓ 富士山(ふじさん)
②
Mountains in Japanese life — Japan is 73% mountains. 山 shows up everywhere: 山登り (hiking), 山の手 (uptown Tokyo), even expressions like 山をかける (take a big gamble).やまのぼり · やまのて · やまをかける
③
山 means climax — In Japanese storytelling, 山場 (やまば) means the climax or highlight of a story, performance, or situation — literally "the mountain place." The peak of a mountain became the metaphor for the peak moment of anything dramatic.山場（やまば）= the highlight / turning point
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N5 Kanji · 山 · Sheet 1 of 110