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枯山水 (かれさんすい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Meanings 1
noun
dry landscape garden ; Japanese rock garden ; kare-sansui
A traditional Japanese garden style using rocks, gravel, and sand to represent water and mountains without actual water. Often associated with Zen temples.
山さん
水すい
の
庭にわ
は
、
砂すな
と
石いし
だけ
で
水みず
の
流なが
れ
を
表ひょう
現げん
し
て
いる
。
A kare-sansui garden expresses the flow of water using only sand and stones.
Written forms 枯山水
枯か れ 山さん 水すい
Alternate spelling using okurigana; less common but still encountered.
こせんすい
Similar words 日本にほん 庭てい 園えん 日本庭園 is a broader term for Japanese gardens in general, while 枯山水 specifically refers to the dry landscape style without water.
石せき 庭てい 石庭 (rock garden) is sometimes used interchangeably, but 枯山水 emphasizes the dry, waterless aspect and the symbolic representation of landscapes.
Etymology From 枯れ (kare, 'dried up, withered') + 山水 (sansui, 'landscape, hills and waters'), literally 'dry landscape'. The term refers to a garden style that uses rocks and sand to evoke natural scenery without water.
