坂

岅

bǎn

反 + 土

Definitions

bǎn variant of 阪[bǎn]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 反 represents the sound. Simplified form of 岅.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 反

About

坂 is a phono-semantic compound: the earth radical 土 on the left indicates land or topography, and the phonetic 反 on the right supplies the sound. It denotes a slope, hillside, or inclined stretch of terrain. While the character functions as a standard topographic descriptor in classical Chinese literature, it is especially common in Japanese, where it appears in countless geographical names and surnames, representing hills and sloping roads in both urban and rural settings. Its meaning is tightly focused on describing elevation changes, and it serves as a key tool for naming places on uneven ground and for mapping inclined surfaces. It is the simplified form of 岅.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这条山坡很陡。

Zhè tiáo shānpō hěn dǒu.

This hillside is very steep.

前方的坂道需要小心驾驶。

Qiánfāng de bǎndào xūyào xiǎoxīn jiàshǐ.

The slope ahead requires careful driving.

我们沿着缓坂慢慢散步。

Wǒmen yánzhe huǎn bǎn mànmàn sànbù.

We took a slow walk along the gentle slope.

自行车上坡时费力，下坂时省力。

Zìxíngchē shàngpō shí fèilì, xià bǎn shí shěnglì.

Bicycles require effort going uphill but save effort going downhill.

雨后坂路变得湿滑难行。

Yǔ hòu bǎnlù biàn de shīhuá nán xíng.

The sloping road became slippery and difficult to walk on after the rain.

这条盘山路有许多急转弯和陡坂。

Zhè tiáo pánshān lù yǒu xǔduō jí zhuǎnwān hé dǒu bǎn.

This mountain road has many sharp turns and steep slopes.

列车缓缓驶上了长长的坂道。

Lièchē huǎnhuǎn shǐ shàngle chángcháng de bǎndào.

The train slowly climbed onto the long slope.

他的人生道路并非坦途，总有起伏的坂。

Tā de rénshēng dàolù bìng fēi tǎntú, zǒng yǒu qǐfú de bǎn.

His life's path is not smooth; there are always rising and falling slopes.

Related Characters

Component: 反

Component: 土

坂