山水(さんすい)

さんすい
noun
landscape; scenery of mountains and water; landscape painting
natureart
1. landscape; scenery of mountains and water
The natural scenery formed by mountains and rivers. An aesthetic concept central to East Asian art and garden design.
美(うつく)しい山水(さんすい)の風景(ふうけい)。
Beautiful mountain and water scenery.
この庭園(ていえん)は山水(さんすい)をかたどった枯山水(かれさんすい)だ。
This garden is a dry landscape that represents mountain and water scenery.
日本(にほん)の山水(さんすい)は四季(しき)ごとに表情(ひょうじょう)を変(か)える。
Japan's natural landscape changes its appearance with each season.
2. landscape painting; sansui painting
A genre of East Asian painting depicting mountains, rivers, and natural landscapes. Abbreviated from 山水画.
水墨(すいぼく)の山水(さんすい)を描(えが)く。
To paint a landscape in ink wash.
雪舟(せっしゅう)は山水画(さんすいが)の名手(めいしゅ)として知(し)られる。
Sesshu is known as a master of landscape painting.
中国(ちゅうごく)から伝(つた)わった山水画(さんすいが)は、日本(にほん)で独自(どくじ)の発展(はってん)を遂(と)げた。
Landscape painting, which came from China, developed in its own unique way in Japan.

Composed of 山(さん) (mountain) + 水(すい) (water). A foundational concept in East Asian aesthetics representing the ideal natural landscape. The word evokes both actual scenery and artistic depictions of it.

Common collocations

  • 山水画(さんすいが): landscape painting (the full term)
  • 枯山水(かれさんすい): dry landscape garden — a rock garden that symbolizes mountains and water without using actual water
  • 山水(さんすい)の風景(ふうけい): mountain-and-water scenery
  • 水墨(すいぼく)山水(さんすい): ink-wash landscape

Cultural note

枯山水(かれさんすい) (dry landscape) gardens, found at Zen temples like 龍安寺(りょうあんじ), use rocks, gravel, and moss to abstractly represent 山水(さんすい) without water. This is one of the most iconic forms of Japanese garden design.

Similar words

  • 風景(ふうけい): scenery, landscape — general term for any view or scenery, without the cultural/artistic nuance
  • 景色(けしき): scenery, view — everyday word for what you see when looking at nature
  • 山河(さんが): mountains and rivers — more literary; emphasizes the physical geography of a land

Related Words

Compare: 風景(ふうけい) (scenery, landscape)
Compare: 景色(けしき) (scenery, view)
Related: 花鳥風月(かちょうふうげつ) (beauties of nature)
general
Added 2026.4.9 5:33 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
23000/23148_sansui