山 shān — mountain; hill
这座山的风景很美。Zhè zuò shān de fēng jǐng hěn měi.The scenery of this mountain is beautiful.
Common words: 爬山 (pá shān)、登山 (dēng shān)、山区 (shān qū)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "hill"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hill", including 山 (shān), 陵 (líng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "hill" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 山 (shān), 陵 (líng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shān, líng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 山 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 山 shānmountain; hillUseful words: 爬山, 登山
- 陵 língmound; tomb; hill; mountainUseful words: 丘陵, 陵园
Common words for these 2 "hill" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 山 (shān) — so "hill" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "hill".
陵 líng — mound; tomb; hill; mountain
南京有许多著名的帝王陵墓。Nán jīng yǒu xǔ duō zhù míng de dì wáng líng mù.Nanjing has many famous imperial tombs.
Common words: 丘陵 (qiū líng)、陵园 (líng yuán)、凭陵 (píng líng)
All 2 characters
Open 山、陵 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.