岩

嵒/巖/巗

yán

山 + 石

Definitions

yán (noun) rock; cliff

Etymology

The rocks 石 that make up a mountain 山

About

岩 is the commonly used simplified form of the complex traditional character 巖. It combines the mountain radical 山 above the stone radical 石, an intuitive pairing that conveys the rocks and boulders forming a mountain. Its meanings include solid rock, large boulders, and steep, dangerous cliffs in rugged natural landscapes. The character appears in geological terminology for types of stone and minerals, and is also common in names of geographical locations, caves, and mountainous areas due to its visual and semantic link to rocky terrain.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这块岩石很硬。

Zhè kuài yánshí hěn yìng.

This rock is very hard.

岩洞里有蝙蝠。

Yándòng lǐ yǒu biānfú.

There are bats in the cave.

岩浆从火山喷出。

Yánjiāng cóng huǒshān pēnchū.

Magma erupts from the volcano.

他爬上了岩壁。

Tā pá shàngle yánbì.

He climbed up the cliff.

岩画是古代艺术。

Yánhuà shì gǔdài yìshù.

Rock paintings are ancient art.

地质学家研究岩层。

Dìzhì xuéjiā yánjiū yáncéng.

Geologists study rock layers.

这座岩山很难攀登。

Zhè zuò yánshān hěn nán pāndēng.

This rocky mountain is difficult to climb.

在岩岸附近发现了化石。

Zài yán'àn fùjìn fāxiànle huàshí.

Fossils were found near the rocky shore.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 山

Component: 石

岩