hill

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 丘 has five strokes and refers to a hill rising above its surroundings.
• Basic usage: As a standalone word it is read おか, as when looking down from a hill or crossing one.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Hill and slope
  • 丘 names a raised landform; 坂 refers to a slope or sloping road that one travels up or down.
  • A road up a hill may be a slope, but the two words focus on different things.
• A hill and rolling hills
  • 丘陵, read きゅうりょう, refers to terrain with a succession of hills.
  • Here 丘 is read きゅう, not おか.
• No fixed height from the word
  • Everyday distinctions between hills and mountains should not be reduced to a single numerical height rule.
  • The word 丘 alone does not tell us an exact height.