火山
kazan[ka̠zã̠ɴ]
The English word "volcano" is translated into Japanese as 火山 (kazan).
火山 is a noun used to describe a mountain containing a magma chamber. To talk about a volcanic eruption, the noun 噴火 is used.
Meaning: mountain containing a magma chamber (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 火山 is composed of two characters: the first means "fire" (火) and the second means "mountain" (山).
Which one should you use?
While 火山 is the standard term for volcano, you can use the prefix 活 (meaning "living" or "active") to create the term 活火山, which means "active volcano".
How do you pronounce it?
kazan
Did you know?
- While 'volcano' in English comes from the Roman god Vulcan, the Japanese 火山 relies entirely on the visual imagery of 'fire' and 'mountain'.
- While 火山 refers to the mountain, the word for eruption 噴火 literally means 'spraying fire', reflecting the violent motion of the magma.
- The character 山 (mountain) is a pictograph, meaning its shape was originally derived from a drawing of mountain peaks.
Examples in context
- 阿蘇山は活火山だ。Mt. Aso is an active volcano.The sentence is useful for identifying a specific mountain as an active volcano using 火山.Tatoeba #191579 by Kaede, translation #28742 by CN
- 火山を見てみたい。I want to see a volcano.This sentence expresses a desire to see a 火山.Tatoeba #10561189 by small_snow, translation #1556984 by brymck
- これは活火山です。This is an active volcano.This sentence is used to state that something is an active volcano using 火山.Tatoeba #12074970 by small_snow, translation #7902727 by Hybrid
- 熊本にはたくさんの山があるけど、火山もあるの？Kumamoto has many mountains, but are there any volcanoes too?
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are looking at a postcard of a scenic mountain.
- 蓮 Renこの火山はとても綺麗だね。Kono kazan wa totemo kirei da ne.This volcano is very beautiful, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ。いつか行ってみたいね。Hontou da. Itsuka itte mitai ne.It really is. I want to go there someday.
- 蓮 Ren美咲、登るのは大丈夫？Misaki, noboru no wa daijoubu?Misaki, are you okay with climbing it?
- 美咲 Misaki蓮君がいれば大丈夫だよ。Ren-kun ga ireba daijoubu da yo.If you are there, Ren, I'll be fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “volcano” translations and entries 火山, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
