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By Masaki Mori

Yama is the Japanese word for ‘mountain’, explained

What does “yama” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yama” normally to mean ‘mountain’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “yama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

Definition and meanings of “yama”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “yama”.

Native speakers use this noun normally to refer to a mountain, hill, or peak in Japanese. It’s also worth mentioning here that they sometimes use this as a metaphor for a highly important part of something like a climax, highlight, or critical situation. The usage as a metaphor is more important to better understand real Japanese conversations, I think.

The kanji character of “yama” originally came from the shape of a mountain. It has the peak at the center, the two high points on the both sides, and the foot on the bottom.

Then, let me explain how to use “yama” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “mountains” in Japanese

boku wa tokidoki yama ni iki masu – 僕は時々山に行きます (ぼくはときどきやまにいきます)

I sometimes go to mountains.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
  • wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
  • ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “yama” to say where the speaker sometimes goes.
  • iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
  • masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “iki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “yama”. In this example, it works as plural and means ‘mountains’ in Japanese. When we want to mean a ‘mountain’ or ‘mountains’ in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “yama”

watashi no chichi wa kon’ya ga yama desu – 私の父は今夜が山です (わたしのちちはこんやがやまです)

My father is in a critical situation tonight.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
  • no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
  • chichi – 父 (ちち) : a noun meaning ‘father’ in Japanese.
  • kon’ya – 今夜 (こんや) : a noun meaning ‘tonight’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as a noun.
  • ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kon’ya” to make the subject in the sentence.
  • desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “yama” to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “yama”. In this example, it works as a metaphor. When we want to use a metaphor for a climax, highlight, or critical situation in Japanese, “yama” is a good option.

The literal meaning of the Japanese example sentence is more like ‘for my father, tonight is a critical situation’. It has been translated as ‘my father is in a critical situation tonight’, though.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yama” together with its kanji character. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

  • yama – 山 (やま) : a noun meaning ‘mountain’, ‘hill’, or ‘peak’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Japanese native speakers sometimes use this as a metaphor for a highly important part of something like a climax, highlight, or critical situation. It’s worth knowing, I think.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

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