The word 嘉峪关 is formed by sequentially combining three characters: 嘉, which functions as a descriptive or nominal element often associated with positivity or a specific name; 峪, meaning "valley"; and 关, meaning "pass". The characters 嘉 and 峪 together create the compound 嘉峪, identifying a specific valley, and the addition of 关 denotes that it is a pass situated within that valley, resulting in a toponym that literally means "the pass at the Jiayu Valley".