火山
火fire山mountain=volcano
山
山 (shān) Chinese Character: mountain
Three peaks rising up — that's a mountain, plain and simple!
Practice 山 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: Three Peaks
Picture yourself standing in a valley, looking up at three mountain peaks against the sky. That's exactly what the ancient Chinese saw when they created 山 (shān). Three vertical lines rise from a horizontal base — the middle one tallest, like the king of mountains, with two shorter peaks on either side. No abstraction, no metaphor. Just a picture of what they saw every day. When you write 山, you're drawing mountains.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
山上
山mountain上on or above=on the mountain
Chinese character origin and etymology
山 is documented as a basic character form. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 山 is written with 3 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 山 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
山 is written with 3 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 山 — mountain — a pictograph that doesn't break into smaller parts
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 山 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
这座山很高。
This mountain is very tall.
我们去爬山吧。
Let's go climb a mountain.
山上有很多树。
There are many trees on the mountain.
Learning tips for 山
Learn the reading as one unit: shān, with the first tone: high and level. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “mountain,” and write the 3 strokes from memory.
Because 山 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 出 (chū, go out — a foot stepping over a mountain); 仙 (xiān, immortal — a person (亻) living in the mountains (山)); 岩 (yán, rock — mountain (山) over stone (石)). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 山 without pinyin?
- Can you say shān with the correct tone and explain “mountain”?
- Can you write all 3 strokes in order?
- Can you use 山 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Learn 山 in a themed collection
Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.