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The character 岙 (traditional form: 嶴) uses the mountain radical 山, which appears at the bottom in the simplified version and on top in the traditional, clearly linking the meaning to mountainous terrain. The simplified character replaces the complex component 奧 with 夭, a phonetic substitute that preserves the pronunciation while dramatically simplifying the visual form. It defines a valley, col, or habitable flat area deep within mountains, a term for settlements nestled among peaks. This character is predominantly used in place names, serving as a suffix for villages and towns in the rugged coastal highlands of Zhejiang and other southeastern provinces. Its application is largely confined to geographic naming and maps, rather than everyday vocabulary.
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