How to Write 岩 (yán) — Meaning “Rock / Cliff”

Picture a mountain (山) that is entirely solid stone (石) — that is a rocky cliff. Imagine yourself climbing that steep stone mountain to link the two parts together.

Start with the mountain radical 山, making the middle vertical stroke slightly longer, then the two small peaks on each side. The stone part 石 below should be a bit wider than the mountain for proper balance; note that the first stroke of 石 is a horizontal that extends left a little.

岩 (rock) combines 山 and 石 (stone), while 屹 (yì, towering) uses 山 with 乞 (meaning 'beg' but here giving the sound), and 屺 (qǐ, hill without trees) uses 山 with 己 (self). Visually, the bottom parts differ: 石 vs 乞 vs 己.

岩 appears in everyday words like 岩石 (rock) and 攀岩 (rock climbing), and in place names or geological terms. In Chinese culture, cliffs and rocks are often symbols of endurance and stability, and they appear frequently in traditional landscape painting.

Common words containing 岩 include: 岩石 (yán shí) — Rock; 攀岩 (pān yán) — rock climbing; 岩洞 (yán dòng) — Grotto / Cave.