Mountain Radical (山) — Characters, Meaning and Practice Worksheet
山 is the mountain radical. It appears in 14 of the most common Chinese characters — these 12 are the ones worth learning first, and the worksheet below gives every one of them a pinyin header, a stroke-by-stroke model and blank Tianzige grids to copy into.
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What does 山 mean?
Mountain radical · 山 shān · 3 strokes · mountain
It usually appears at the bottom, top, or on the left. The Origin column below shows what each character's parts do — many take their meaning from the radical, some take their sound from the other half.
Shapes: 山
山 itself: Three mountain peaks
12 common characters with 山
Ranked by how often they appear in real written Chinese. Every character links to its own page with a stroke-order animation and example words.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岁 | suì | year (of age) | |
| 密 | mì | thick, dense; close, intimate; secret | A silent 宓 mountain 山; 宓 also provides the pronunciation |
| 微 | wēi | slightly | |
| 岸 | àn | bank | A mountain 山 cliff 厂; 干 provides the pronunciation |
| 岛 | dǎo | island | A bird 鸟 perched atop a mountain 山 |
| 幽 | yōu | remote; hidden away; secluded; serene; peaceful; to imprison; in super… | Small niches 幺 in the mountainside 山; 幺 also provides the pronunciation |
| 岗 | gǎng | post; sentry post; hillock, mound | 冈 supplies the sound |
| 峰 | fēng | peak | 夆 supplies the sound |
| 崇 | chóng | high; sublime; lofty; to esteem; to worship | 宗 supplies the sound |
| 仙 | xiān | immortal being | 山 supplies the sound |
| 岩 | yán | rock, cliff | The rocks 石 that make up a mountain 山 |
| 灿 | càn | glorious; bright; brilliant; lustrous; resplendent | 山 supplies the sound |
Related Radicals
- 寸Inch radical · cùn23 common characters · inch; a hand measuring
- 小Small radical · xiǎo12 common characters · small
- 尸Corpse radical · shī15 common characters · corpse; a lying figure
- 工Work radical · gōng16 common characters · work, craft
- 干Dry radical · gān12 common characters · dry; a shield
- 弓Bow radical · gōng8 common characters · a bow (for shooting)
Create Your Own Chinese Worksheet
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