Translation guide
A raised area of earth, stones, or other material, often small and rounded. In Japanese, the most common word is 塚 (つか), but other terms exist depending on size, shape, and purpose.
A natural or man-made small raised area, often rounded, like a burial mound or a pile in a garden.
The most common word for a mound, especially a small hill or burial mound. Often used in place names.
公園に小さな塚があります。
There is a small mound in the park.
古墳は大きな塚です。
An ancient tomb is a large mound.
Literally 'piled earth', refers to an artificial mound or embankment, often for construction or landscaping.
庭に盛り土をして花壇を作った。
We made a flower bed by piling up earth in the garden.
Literally 'small mountain', used for a hillock or mound, often natural.
その小山の上に神社がある。
There is a shrine on top of that mound.
A mound formed by piling up materials like sand, dirt, or objects.
Means 'mountain', but commonly used for a pile or heap, like a mound of dirt or a pile of dishes.
砂の山ができた。
A mound of sand formed.
書類の山に埋もれている。
I'm buried under a mound of documents.
Technical term for accumulation or deposit, often used in geology or formal contexts.
The raised area in baseball from which the pitcher throws.
Loanword from English, used specifically for the pitcher's mound in baseball.
ピッチャーがマウンドに立った。
The pitcher stood on the mound.
An ancient grave mound, often large and historically significant.
Specifically refers to ancient burial mounds, especially from the Kofun period in Japan.
この地域には多くの古墳がある。
There are many ancient burial mounds in this area.
A more general term for a tomb or grave mound, often used in historical or archaeological contexts.
塚 (つか) is a general term for a small mound, often natural or man-made, and can refer to anything from a pile of earth to a small hill. 古墳 (こふん) specifically refers to ancient burial mounds, especially those from the Kofun period (3rd-6th centuries). Use 古墳 when talking about historical tombs.
公園の塚は桜の名所です。
The mound in the park is a famous cherry blossom spot.
仁徳天皇陵は日本最大の古墳です。
The Daisen Kofun is the largest burial mound in Japan.
マウンド is a loanword used almost exclusively for the pitcher's mound in baseball. Using it for other types of mounds (like a pile of dirt) would sound unnatural. Stick to 山 or 塚 for general mounds.
川のそばに小石の山があった。
There was a small mound of stones by the river.
子供たちは浜辺に砂の山を作った。
The children built a mound of sand at the beach.
火山灰の堆積が厚い層をなしている。
The mound of volcanic ash forms a thick layer.
That mound is believed to be the king's tomb.