山
The 山 radical
Mountain
Memory hook
Three mountain peaks
The 山 radical (read shān) means mountain. The HSK 3.0 data contains 23 characters and 58 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 山 radical
Study this radical's 58 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 山 radical
23 charactersThe free plan shows 9 characters per HSK level (16/23 characters of this radical).
HSK 1· 2 characters
HSK 1山
mountain
岁
years old, age
HSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5岸
shore, bank, coast
HSK 6· 4 characters
HSK 6岗
guard post, sentry post, lookout position
岛
island
峰
mountain peak, summit
崇
lofty, revered
HSK 7-9· 9 characters
HSK 7-9屹
towering, standing upright, unshakable
屿
small island
岂
could it be that, how could
岔
fork in the road; where a road branches off
岩
rock, cliff
岭
peak, mountaintop
岳
great mountain, high mountain
峙
to stand towering, to stand proudly upright
峡
mountain gorge, mountain pass
Vocabulary with the 山 radical
58 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 山 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (27/58 words of this radical).
mountain
years old, age
to climb a mountain; to hike
to climb a mountain
both banks of a river
mountainous area
years, time
shore, bank, coast
on the shore/bank
mountainside, hillside
mountain peak, summit
valley
age
post, position (at work)
island
summit, summit meeting
to admire, to worship
peak hour, peak
to start work; to take up a post
to go down the mountain, to descend from a mountain
to be laid off, to lose one's job
severe, harsh, grim
to chat idly, to shoot the breeze
iceberg
to come out of the mountains; to leave the mountains (literal)
peninsula
to confront, to face off, to be in a standoff (neither side yielding)
Why learn vocabulary by the 山 radical?
The 山 radical hints at the meaning mountain. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 23 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 58 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.