also: だけ
noun, noun, used as a suffix
Mount; Mt.; high mountain
Only with reading たけ / だけ
Most useful for learners as the mountain-name suffix 岳, read たけ or だけ depending on the name. It corresponds to English “Mount” or “Mt.” before a mountain name.
夏に北岳へ登った。
I climbed Mount Kita in the summer.
来年は穂高岳に登りたい。
Next year I want to climb Mount Hotaka.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
high mountain; mountain peak
Only with reading たけ
As an independent noun, 岳 read たけ refers to a high mountain or peak. It is less everyday than 山 and often sounds topographical, literary, or name-like.
遠くに雪を頂いた岳が見える。
A snow-capped peak can be seen in the distance.
Outdated kanji form for 岳; mainly encountered in older writing, traditional names, or stylized contexts.
The reading たけ is a native Japanese word for a high mountain or peak conventionally written 岳; だけ is the voiced suffixal reading found in some mountain names. 嶽 is an older kanji form. The deeper historical derivation of たけ is uncertain.