also: ざん
suffix
Mount; Mt.
Suffix attached to mountain names. The reading may change to ざん due to rendaku.
富士山は日本で一番高い山です。
Mt. Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan.
比叡山は京都の北東にあります。
Mt. Hiei is located northeast of Kyoto.
suffix
Used in the names of Buddhist temples, often as part of the temple's mountain name (山号).
See also: 山号
金閣寺の山号は北山です。
The mountain name of Kinkaku-ji is Kitayama.
このお寺は○○山と呼ばれています。
This temple is called ○○-zan.
Rendaku form used after certain sounds, e.g., 富士山 (ふじさん) vs. 比叡山 (ひえいざん).
From the noun 山 (やま, 'mountain'), used as a suffix in mountain names and later extended to temple names via the tradition of sango (山号).