岳・嶽|たけtake[2]odaka (tail-high)

1. noun, noun (suffix)(high) mountain; Mount; Mt.
2. nounmountain peak

• Synonym山岳さんがくWrittenA Sino-Japanese word for mountains, written/formal in tone, used mostly in compounds such as 「山岳部」 and 「山岳救助」; 「岳」 alone appears mainly in mountain names like 「谷川岳」.
• Related深山みやまWrittenWritten/formal prose: mountains deep in the backcountry, far from human habitation; literary, common in waka. 「岳」 stresses height and steepness.
• RelatedマウンテンNeutralNeutral loanword for mountain, rarely used alone; mostly in compounds like 「マウンテンバイク」. In everyday speech just say 「山」.
• Relatedお山おやまNeutralSays mountain with affectionate respect, often for a sacred mountain of worship or the mountain near one's home; 「岳」 is for high, steep peaks.
• Antonym谷たにNeutralNeutral word for a valley or gorge, the opposite of a towering 「岳」.
• Antonym麓ふもとNeutralNeutral word for the foot of a mountain, the opposite of 「岳」 at the summit.
• Antonym平地へいちNeutralNeutral word for flat, level ground, the opposite of the high mountains called 「岳」.

「岳」 appears mostly in mountain names like 「槍ヶ岳」 and 「谷川岳」. For mountains in general, written prose prefers 「山岳」; say 「お山」 with affection, 「深山」 for remote mountain depths. The opposites are 「谷」 and 「麓」.

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

1. 山やま。特とくに、高たかく険けわしいもの。
2. 名詞めいしの後うしろに付ついて山名さんめいを作つくる。