山々(やまやま)

やまやま
noun, adverb
mountains; greatly
geographydescriptive
1. mountains, many mountains
Multiple mountains; a range of mountains.
美(うつく)しい山々(やまやま)。
Beautiful mountains.
遠(とお)くに山々(やまやま)が見(み)えます。
You can see mountains in the distance.
山々(やまやま)に囲(かこ)まれた村(むら)。
A village surrounded by mountains.
In autumn, the mountains turn red and yellow.
Snow-capped mountains were visible from the window, and it was very beautiful.
2. greatly, very much (wanting to)
Used to express strong desire, often followed by 'but...' to indicate constraint.
手伝(てつだ)いたいのは山々(やまやま)だ。
I'd very much like to help.
I'd love to go, but I don't have time.
I'd love to buy it, but I don't have the money.
I'd very much like to take it on, but I'm busy right now.
I'd love to rest more, but I have to finish by next week.

Usage

Sense 2 appears almost only in the pattern 〜たいのは山々(やまやま)だが / ですが: the speaker would very much like to do something but cannot. It is a common polite way to decline.

Common patterns