Specifically refers to an echo reverberating among mountains. In everyday contexts, こだま or エコー are more common for echoes in general.
mountain god; mountain guardian deity
A deity or spirit believed to dwell in mountains and cause echoes. This sense is mythological and rarely used in modern conversation outside folklore contexts.
When I shouted toward the valley, an echo came back.
In old tales, yamabiko is sometimes depicted as a mountain deity.
Standard kanji spelling for both the echo and the deity sense.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; easier to read and sometimes used in children's materials or when the kanji 彦 is considered difficult.
Compound of 山 (yama, 'mountain') and 彦 (hiko, 'boy' or 'prince'), originally referring to a mountain spirit whose voice was thought to be the echo. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.