山やま道みち

also: さんどう · せんどう

や

ま

み

ち

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

mountain road; mountain trail

Refers to a path or road through mountains, often unpaved or narrow. Can be used for hiking trails or rural mountain routes.

この山やま道みちは夏なつでも涼すずしい。
This mountain trail is cool even in summer.
山やま道みちを登のぼるのに疲つかれた。
I got tired climbing the mountain road.

Written forms

山道Usage100%
- やまみち
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common reading is やまみち.
- さんどう
  Alternate reading, less common in modern Japanese.
- せんどう
  Rare alternate reading; may appear in older texts or specific contexts.
さんどう
せんどう

Kanji

山mountain
道road-way, street, district

Similar words

登と山ざん道どう
登山道 specifically refers to a climbing trail for mountaineering, while 山道 is a broader term for any mountain road or path.
峠とうげ
峠 means a mountain pass or the highest point of a road, whereas 山道 refers to the road itself through the mountains.

Etymology

Compound of 山 (yama, 'mountain') and 道 (michi, 'road/path'). The reading やまみち is the standard kun'yomi combination. Alternate readings さんどう and せんどう use on'yomi and are less common.