岩山(いわやま)

いわやま
noun
rocky mountain; rocky hill
naturegeography
1. rocky mountain; a mountain or hill composed mainly of exposed rock rather than soil and vegetation
A mountain or hill where rock is prominently exposed at the surface rather than being covered by forest or soil. Often describes steep, bare mountains used for rock climbing or featured in dramatic natural scenery.
遠(とお)くに岩山(いわやま)が見(み)える。
You can see a rocky mountain in the distance.
この地域(ちいき)には険(けわ)しい岩山(いわやま)が多(おお)い。
There are many steep rocky mountains in this area.
登山家(とざんか)たちは危険(きけん)な岩山(いわやま)を一歩一歩(いっぽいっぽ)慎重(しんちょう)に登(のぼ)っていった。
The climbers carefully ascended the dangerous rocky mountain step by step.

Compound of 岩(いわ) ('rock') and 山(やま) ('mountain'). Note the rendaku in 岩山(いわやま) does NOT apply — the second element remains やま (not がま/ざま).

Usage

  • A descriptive term for any hill or mountain whose surface is dominated by bare rock rather than vegetation.
  • Common in travelogues, nature writing, and climbing contexts.
  • May also appear in place names (e.g., 岩山(いわやま)公園(こうえん) 'Iwayama Park').

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 岩場(いわば): rocky area / rocky outcrop — a stretch of exposed rock, not necessarily a whole mountain.
  • 崖(がけ): cliff — a steep vertical rock face, often part of a larger formation.
  • 山(やま): mountain — the general term, without reference to composition.

Related words

Related Words

Compare: 岩場(いわば) (rocky area / rocky outcrop)
Compare: 崖(がけ) (cliff)
Related: 岩石(がんせき) (rock)
Related: 岩肌(いわはだ) (rock surface)
Related: 登山(とざん) (mountain climbing)
general
Added 2026.4.15 17:03 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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