鉱山
こうざん · kouzan · JLPT N1 · noun
mine
⛏️ 鉱山 = ore (鉱) + mountain (山): a mountain you dig into for ore
山 means mountain and 鉱 means ore or mineral. A mountain that you dig into to extract ore is a mine.
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'.