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巉巌 (ざんがん, zangan) Japanese meaning: sheer cliff | Kotomora

巉ざん巌がん

Meanings

1

sheer cliff; precipitous peak

Literary term for a steep, near-vertical rock face or mountain peak. Rare in everyday speech; mainly encountered in classical or descriptive writing.

その山やまは巉ざん巌がんとしてそびえ、登のぼるのが極きわめて困こん難なんだった。
The mountain rose as a sheer cliff, making it extremely difficult to climb.

Kanji

巉rising precipitously, rising steeply
巌rock, crag, boulder

Related words

絶ぜっ壁ぺき
Common word for a sheer cliff or precipice; 巉巌 is a much rarer, more literary synonym.
断だん崖がい
Also means a cliff or precipice, but more general; 巉巌 emphasizes the steep, rugged, and imposing nature of the rock face.

Etymology

Composed of the rare kanji 巉 (steep, precipitous) and 巌 (rock, crag). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of a sheer cliff.