枯かれ山さん水すい

か

れ

さ

ん

す

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 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.

京きょう都との龍りょう安あん寺じの枯かれ山さん水すいは世せ界かい的てきに有ゆう名

めい

だ

。

The dry landscape garden at Ryōan-ji in Kyoto is world-famous.

枯かれ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.

Kanji

枯wither, die, dry up
山mountain
水water

Related 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.

Written forms

枯山水
- かれさんすい
  Standard kanji spelling for the dry landscape garden.
- こせんすい
枯かれ山さん水すい
Alternate spelling using okurigana; less common but still encountered.
こせんすい

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.