渓谷・谿谷・溪谷|けいこくkeikoku[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounvalley (with a river running through it); gorge; ravine; canyon

• Synonym峡谷きょうこくNeutralA deep valley with steep sides and a narrow floor; unlike 「渓谷」, it says nothing about a stream running through.
• Synonym谷間たにまNeutralThe land between mountains, but also used figuratively for a gap or low point — senses 「渓谷」 does not cover.
• Synonym谷たにNeutralThe most common, everyday word for a valley as terrain; it makes no point of whether a stream runs through.
• Related渓間けいかんWrittenLiterary word for a ravine with a mountain stream; rare even in prose, and it centers on the ravine where the stream lies.
• Related山峡さんきょうWrittenWritten word for a gorge or pass between mountains; it stresses the rugged, precipitous terrain.
• Antonym山頂さんちょうNeutralThe summit of a mountain; the opposite of 「渓谷」 in height — top versus valley floor.

Use 「渓谷」 for a valley with a stream, as in 「黒部渓谷」 or 「渓谷美」. For a steep-sided narrow gorge say 「峡谷」, for a valley as landform say 「谷」, and for a figurative gap or low point say 「谷間」; the opposite is 「山頂」.

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

1. 谷たに。「渓けい」は「たに」「たにがわ」の意い。