A raised mound or heap of earth, stones, or similar material. Often refers to a small natural or artificial rise rather than a large hill.
庭の隅に土の塚ができていた。
A mound of earth had formed in the corner of the garden.
An old warlord rests in this mound.
burial mound; tomb; tumulus; gravesite
Used for a mound associated with burial or memorializing the dead. It can refer to an old tumulus, a grave mound, or a small memorial grave site.
村の外れに古い塚が残っている。
An old burial mound remains on the edge of the village.
この塚は、昔の武士の墓だと伝えられている。
This mound is said to be the tomb of an old warrior.
standing stone; stone signpost; roadside stone statue
A less common use for a stone marker or roadside stone object, such as a standing stone, signpost, or small stone statue. Modern readers may understand this mainly from older descriptions or local historical contexts.
古い地誌では、道端の石像を塚と呼ぶことがある。
In old local records, a roadside stone statue is sometimes called a tsuka.
村人たちは戦死者のために塚を盛った。
The villagers piled up a mound for the war dead.
An old stone marker stands by the roadside on the mountain pass.
墓 is the everyday word for a grave or tomb, whereas 塚 emphasizes the raised earthen mound itself and can also refer to non-burial mounds.
丘 means a hill or natural rise in the landscape, while 塚 usually denotes a smaller, often man-made mound, frequently tied to burial or used as a marker.
塚 (つか) means a mound or grave, while the identically-pronounced 束 (つか) means a bundle or the thickness of a stack of pages; the two are unrelated homophones.
shell mound; shell midden; kitchen midden
tumulus; burial mound
milestone (1 ri apart); wayside marker
anthill; ant mound
round burial mound
grave
megapode; mound builder
rubbish heap; garbage dump
burial mound for a person who died for love
Standard modern spelling; this form is high priority.
Attested variant kanji; uncommon in ordinary modern Japanese and mainly useful for recognition or search.
The historical derivation is not specified. The kanji 塚 is conventionally associated with an earthen mound or grave mound.
foxhole; fox den; fox mound
mound for burying old brushes
sutra mound
burial mound for severed ears
mound of straw; pile of straw