険しい

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 険しい, read けわしい, is an i-adjective describing rugged or steep terrain.
• Basic usage: It describes paths or slopes that are difficult to traverse because of their steepness or roughness.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Before a noun and at sentence end
  • In 道は狭くて険しい, the adjective describes the path at the end of the sentence.
  • Before a noun, it attaches directly as in 険しい坂, without な.
• Finishing the climb
  • In the example, 登り切ると leads into the scene after the entire slope has been climbed, not after merely starting to climb.