1.
steep; precipitous; sheer
Extremely steep and rising sharply, typically describing mountains, cliffs, slopes, or terrain.
急峻な山道を登った。
We climbed a steep mountain path.
この地域は急峻な地形が多い。
This area has a lot of steep terrain.
急峻な崖がそびえ立ち、下を見ると足がすくんだ。
A sheer cliff towered above, and looking down made my legs freeze.
A compound of 急 (steep/sudden) and 峻 (towering/precipitous). Describes terrain that is not merely steep but dramatically so — nearly vertical cliffs, extremely steep mountain faces, or rugged highland terrain. More literary and emphatic than the common 急な.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 急峻な山: steep mountain
- 急峻な斜面: steep slope
- 急峻な崖: sheer cliff
- 急峻な地形: rugged terrain
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 険しい: steep, rugged — the most common everyday word for steep terrain
- 急な: steep, sudden — general-purpose, less dramatic
- 切り立った: sheer, precipitous — describes a cliff that drops straight down
- 峻険: steep and rugged — literary synonym, nearly interchangeable