山峡(さんきょう)

さんきょう
noun
mountain gorge; ravine between mountains
1. mountain gorge; ravine; valley between mountains
A narrow valley or gorge between mountains, often with steep sides and a river running through it. A literary and geographic term evoking rugged mountain scenery.
山峡(さんきょう)の風景(ふうけい)は息(いき)を呑(の)むほど美(うつく)しかった。
The mountain gorge scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
山峡(さんきょう)の奥深(おくふか)くに小(ちい)さな集落(しゅうらく)がある。
There is a small settlement deep in the mountain gorge.
川(かわ)は山峡(さんきょう)を縫(ぬ)うように流(なが)れ、両岸(りょうがん)には切(き)り立(た)った岩壁(がんぺき)がそびえていた。
The river wound its way through the mountain gorge, with sheer rock walls towering on both banks.

Compound of 山(さん) ('mountain') and 峡(きょう) ('gorge; strait'). Also read as やまかい in some contexts. A somewhat literary word often found in travel writing, geography, and descriptions of natural scenery.

USAGE:

  • The kanji 峡(きょう) appears in other geographic terms like 峡谷(きょうこく) ('canyon; gorge') and 海峡(かいきょう) ('strait; channel')
  • More elevated than everyday words like 谷(たに) ('valley')
  • Frequently used in literary descriptions of mountainous regions

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 山峡(さんきょう)の村(むら): mountain gorge village
  • 山峡(さんきょう)の集落(しゅうらく): settlement in a mountain gorge
  • 山峡(さんきょう)を行(ゆ)く: to travel through a mountain gorge
  • 深(ふか)い山峡(さんきょう): deep mountain gorge

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 峡谷(きょうこく): canyon; gorge — emphasizes the depth and steepness of the valley walls
  • 渓谷(けいこく): ravine; glen — often associated with streams and scenic beauty
  • 谷間(たにま): valley; ravine — the everyday word for a space between mountains
general
Added 2026.4.18 21:22
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