山
shān · HSK 1
mountain
⛰️ Pictograph: three peaks rising from a baseline = mountain
The character 山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, drawn as three vertical strokes on a horizontal base to represent a mountain range. The middle peak is tallest, flanked by two shorter ones.
山 — pictograph of three mountain peaks
山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn in oracle bone script as three pointed peaks rising from a baseline. The form was simplified over time into the modern three vertical strokes on a base. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: 'mountain' or 'hill'.