山麓

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 山麓 (さんろく) is a noun for the foot or lower slopes of a mountain.
• Basic usage: It describes a village at a mountain's foot or fog covering the surrounding lower slopes.
  • 山麓の村で一晩休んだ。 — We spent the night in a village at the foot of the mountain.
  • 朝霧が山麓一帯を白く包んだ。 — Morning fog covered the mountainside in white.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Foot and summit of a mountain
  • 山麓 identifies the lower part or foot of a mountain, not its highest point, which is 山頂.