渓けい間かん

け

い

か

ん

Meanings

Refers to a narrow, steep-sided valley between mountains, often with a stream. A somewhat literary or descriptive term; in everyday speech, 谷 (たに) is more common.

渓けい間かんを流ながれる清せい流りゅうの音おとが心地ここちよい。
The sound of the clear stream flowing through the ravine is pleasant.

Kanji

渓mountain stream, valley
間interval, space
谿valley
溪valley

Related words

谷たに
谷 is the common, everyday word for 'valley' or 'ravine'. 渓間 is more literary and specifically evokes a narrow, stream-filled mountain gorge.
渓けい谷こく
渓谷 is a more common compound for 'ravine' or 'canyon'. 渓間 is less frequent and carries a slightly more poetic or classical nuance.

Written forms

渓けい間かんUsage100%
Standard modern kanji spelling.
谿けい間かん
Variant kanji form; less common than 渓間.
溪けい間かん
out-dated kanji form
Contains outdated kanji; not used in modern writing.

Etymology

Compound of 渓 (mountain stream) and 間 (space, interval), literally 'space between mountain streams'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with the image of a narrow valley carved by a stream.