山(やま)のよう

やまのよう
expression
a mountain of; huge piles of; an enormous amount of
abstract
1. a mountain of; piled high; an enormous amount of
A simile likening a large quantity to a mountain. Used with concrete things stacked up (書類(しょるい), 洗濯物(せんたくもの)) and with abstract ones (work, complaints).
宿題(しゅくだい)が山(やま)のようにある。
I have a mountain of homework.
机(つくえ)の上(うえ)に書類(しょるい)が山(やま)のように積(つ)まれている。
Documents are piled like a mountain on the desk.
連休(れんきゅう)明(あ)けはメールが山(やま)のように届(とど)いていて、処理(しょり)に半日(はんにち)かかった。
After the long weekend, a mountain of emails had arrived, and it took half a day to process them.

Modifier built from 山(やま) (mountain) + のよう (looking like). Used adverbially with に (山(やま)のように) or as a noun modifier with な.

Common patterns

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 山(やま)ほど: 'as much as a mountain' — interchangeable in most contexts, slightly more casual
  • たくさん: a lot — neutral and lacks the vivid 'piled high' image
  • 膨大(ぼうだい)な: enormous — more formal, used for abstract quantities like data

Related Words

Compare: たくさん (a lot)
Compare: 膨大(ぼうだい) (enormous)
general
Added 2026.6.3 13:15 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
28500/28662_yamanoyou