How to say "landscape" in Japanese

• 景色けしきJLPT N4approx.Common
  nounCovers 'landscape' in the everyday sense of what the eye takes in at a place — the view around you. Use it when talking about the scenery you see or enjoy somewhere, such as from a train window or a mountaintop.
  その景色けしきは言葉ことばでは表現ひょうげんできないほどだった。↗

  The scenery was beyond description.
• 風景ふうけいJLPT N3approx.Common
  no-adjectiveAlso covers 'landscape' as scenery or a view, with much the same everyday use as 景色; it likewise includes the sense of a 'scene'. Either word is a safe choice for describing the look of a place.
  とても美うつくしい風景ふうけいがいくつかありました。↗

  I saw some very beautiful scenes.
• 山水さんすいCommon
  nounMeans 'landscape' only in the narrow sense of one containing hills and rivers (mountain-and-water scenery). For ordinary talk about scenery this is seldom the word you want; it really refers to that specific mountain-and-water kind of landscape.

For the ordinary sense of 'landscape' as scenery, 景色 and 風景 are the natural everyday choices; 山水 is only for landscapes specifically made up of mountains and rivers, and is otherwise rarely what you want.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 景色けしきscenery
• 風景ふうけいscenery
• 山水さんすいmountain and water
• ランドスケープlandscape
• 江山こうざんrivers and mountains
• 雲煙うんえんlandscape (painting)