How to Write 岬 (jiǎ) — Meaning “Cape / Headland”

Picture a mountain (山) wearing a piece of armor (甲) on its tip, standing strong against ocean waves. The armor represents the hard, rocky point of a headland. This image helps you recall that 岬 means a cape or promontory.

The left radical 山 should be narrow, taking about one-third of the character's width. The right part 甲 has a vertical stroke that goes through its center; make sure the top is flat and the bottom extends slightly lower than the left side. A common mistake is making 甲 too wide or forgetting the small horizontal stroke inside it.

屹 (yì) means "towering" and has 山 on top with 乞 below, while 屺 (qǐ) means a barren hill and has 山 on top with 己 below. In contrast, 岬 has 山 on the left and 甲 on the right, and it specifically refers to a cape or headland. Visually, 岬's right part 甲 is wider and contains a cross-like shape, unlike the simpler bottom parts of the other two.

岬 appears in geographical terms like 海岬 (sea cape) and 岬角 (promontory). It is also found in place names, such as the Cape of Good Hope (好望角), though 角 is more common there. While not everyday vocabulary, it is used in travel writing, geography texts, and descriptions of coastal scenery.

Common words containing 岬 include: 岬角 (jiǎ jiǎo) — Cape / Promontory; 海岬 (hǎi jiǎ) — Cape / Promontory; 岬湾 (jiǎ wān) — Headland and bay.