山 (shān): the Chinese character for mountain
山 (shān) is the Chinese character for mountain or hill. It is written with 3 strokes and pronounced shān in the first tone, high and level. It is a drawing of mountain peaks, and it appears in words such as 火山 (volcano) and 爬山 (to go hiking).
- Pinyin
- shān
- Tone
- first tone (high and level)
- Meaning
- mountain
- Strokes
- 3
Video: 山 from picture to character
About 37 seconds, with sound. You will hear 山 read aloud, see the picture turn into the character, and get two example words to repeat.
Where the shape of 山 comes from
山 is a pictograph of mountain peaks. In oracle-bone writing, more than 3,000 years ago, the peaks were drawn as triangle-like shapes standing on a ground line rather than as upright strokes.
Over the centuries each peak thinned into a single vertical stroke, with the middle one tallest, and the ground became the line along the bottom.
How to say 山
山 is pronounced shān, in the first tone (high and level). Listen to it in the video above and say it out loud a few times.
How to write 山: stroke order
山 has 3 strokes. Write the tall vertical stroke in the middle first. The second stroke goes down the left side and turns along the bottom in one movement. The short vertical stroke on the right comes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Common words with 山
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上山 | shàng shān | to go up the mountain |
| 爬山 | pá shān | to climb a mountain, to go hiking |
| 高山 | gāoshān | high mountain |
| 火山 | huǒshān | volcano (literally “fire mountain”) |
| 山水 | shānshuǐ | landscape, scenery (literally “mountains and water”) |
Good to know
山 is also a building block in other characters. For example, 岩 (yán, rock) is written with 山 above 石 (stone), and 岛 (dǎo, island) has 山 at the bottom.
Quiz: test yourself on 山
5 quick questions. Pick one answer for each, then check your score.