絶壁(ぜっぺき)

ぜっぺき
noun
precipice; sheer cliff
geography
1. precipice; sheer cliff; steep bluff
A very steep or vertical rock face. Used for natural cliffs and metaphorically for extreme, precarious situations.
絶壁(ぜっぺき)から海(うみ)を見下(みお)ろした。
I looked down at the sea from the cliff.
道(みち)の片側(かたがわ)は切(き)り立(た)った絶壁(ぜっぺき)だった。
One side of the road was a sheer cliff.
ロッククライマーたちが絶壁(ぜっぺき)に挑(いど)んでいる姿(すがた)は圧巻(あっかん)だった。
The sight of the rock climbers tackling the sheer cliff face was spectacular.

Usage

絶壁(ぜっぺき) emphasizes the extreme steepness or verticality of a cliff. Compare with 崖(がけ) (cliff, general) which does not necessarily imply a vertical face.
In casual speech, 絶壁(ぜっぺき) is sometimes used humorously to describe the back of someone's head when it is very flat (後頭部(こうとうぶ)が絶壁(ぜっぺき)).

Common collocations

  • 切(き)り立(た)った絶壁(ぜっぺき) (a sheer, towering cliff)
  • 断崖(だんがい)絶壁(ぜっぺき) (precipitous cliff — a set phrase combining two near-synonyms for emphasis)
  • 絶壁(ぜっぺき)をよじ登(のぼ)る (to scramble up a cliff face)

Related Words

Synonym: 崖(がけ) (cliff (general))
Synonym: 断崖(だんがい) (sheer cliff)
general
Added 2026.3.12 17:58 · Revised 2026.10.5 21:33
16000/16412_zeppeki