How to Write 峻 (jùn) — Meaning “steep; high; stern”

Imagine a mountain (山) that is so steep you have to bend over and crouch (夋 looks like a crouching person) to climb it. The steepness makes you say "jùn!" like the sound of effort. This connects the shape to the meaning of steep and high.

Write the mountain radical 山 first with three strokes: vertical, then the left side, then the right side. The right side 夋 is composed of 允 (top, 4 strokes) and 夂 (bottom, 3 strokes); common mistakes include writing the top as 充 or the bottom as 攵. Remember that 夂 has a left-falling stroke, a horizontal, and a final left-falling stroke — do not add a right-falling stroke.

峻 means steep, high, or stern and is common in words like 严峻 (grim) and 险峻 (precipitous). 岢 (kě) and 岣 (gǒu) are rare characters used only in place names, like 岢岚 (a mountain name) and 岣嵝 (a mountain in Hunan). Visually, 峻 has a more complex right side (夋) while 岢 uses 可 and 岣 uses 句, so 峻 is the only one with a broad, everyday meaning.

峻 appears in words describing steep terrain (险峻 mountain, 峻岭 high ridge) and in abstract senses meaning stern or grim (严峻 situation). It is often used in formal or literary contexts, such as describing a harsh expression or a challenging landscape. In Chinese culture, 峻 carries a sense of majestic severity, appearing in classical poetry about towering mountains.

Common words containing 峻 include: 严峻 (yán jùn) — Grim / Stern; 险峻 (xiǎn jùn) — precipitous and steep; 峻岭 (jùn lǐng) — high mountain ridge.