山
山 in useful words
Learn the character in complete words, because its pronunciation can change with context. Read each word aloud, connect it with the meaning, and then cover the reading to test yourself.
- 山やま
- mountain
- 火山かざん
- volcano
- 富士山ふじさん
- Mount Fuji
Reading 山 in context
山 by itself is やま, mountain. 火山 (かざん, volcano) uses ざん. 富士山 (ふじさん, Mount Fuji) uses さん. Even names containing 山 do not all use the same ending.
Try it in a sentence
Practice sentence written for this site.
山が見えます。
やまが みえます。
I can see a mountain.
Watch for this: The usual Japanese name is ふじさん, not ふじやま. Learn place names as complete names rather than guessing their readings from individual characters.
Check yourself: Read 山 and 富士山.
山: やま. 富士山: ふじさん.
The standalone noun uses やま, while the name Mount Fuji uses さん. Names need their own reading anchors.
Choose your next practice
For reading, cover a word’s pronunciation and recall it before checking. For handwriting, hide the stroke diagram and write the character from memory. An isolated reading list is a reference; the word determines which sound you need.