About
垭 (yà), traditional form 埡, is a phono-semantic compound used almost exclusively in geographical terminology. The left component is the earth radical 土 (tǔ), indicating a semantic connection to land or geological features. The right component is 亚 (yà; traditional 亞), which provides the phonetic pronunciation. It specifically denotes a narrow ridge, mountain pass, or saddle-shaped depression between two higher peaks. This character is common in the toponymy of mountainous regions in western and southwestern China, frequently appearing as a descriptive suffix in the names of mountain passes, villages, and high-altitude routes.