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The character 岙, written as 嶴 in traditional form, uses the mountain radical 山 at the top, linking its meaning to topography. In its simplified version, the complex phonetic component 奧 is replaced by 夭, changing the visual structure but keeping the original pronunciation. 岙 refers to a valley or a habitable flat area within a mountainous region, often describing settlements nestled among peaks. It is chiefly used as a suffix in place names, particularly for villages and towns in the rugged coastal areas of southeastern China, such as Zhejiang province, and is primarily encountered in geographical contexts like toponymy and mapping rather than in everyday language.