Japanese symbol for “heap”
山
やま
Romaji: yama
mountain; hill
In Japanese, heap is 山, read やま (yama).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- ctr, n mountain; hill
- ctr, n mine
- ctr, n (mountain) forest
- ctr, n heap; pile; stack; mountain
- n protruding or high part of an object; crown (of a hat); thread (of a screw); tread (of a tire)
- n climax; peak; critical point
Written forms: 山. Readings: やま、ヤマ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “heap”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 塚 | つか tsuka | mound; heap; hillock |
| 重ね | かさね kasane | pile; heap; layers (e.g. of clothing) |
| 山盛り | やまもり yamamori | heap; pile; stack |
| 堆積 | たいせき taiseki | accumulation; pile; heap |
| 山積み | やまづみ yamazumi | huge mound; heap; pile |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 登山 | とざん tozan | mountain climbing; mountaineering; ascent of a mountain |
| 火山 | かざん kazan | volcano |
| 鉱山 | こうざん kouzan | mine (gold, coal, etc.) |
| 山形 | やまがた yamagata | Yamagata (city, prefecture) |
| 沢山 | たくさん takusan | a lot; lots; plenty |
| 青山 | せいざん seizan | lush mountain; green mountain |
See also: Chinese symbol for “heap”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.