峠
tōge
mountain pass
ORIGIN · SOURCED MADE IN JAPAN
The kanji Japan built for a mountain pass
山mountain
+ 上up
+ 下down
= 峠Most kanji came to Japan from China. 峠 did not. Dictionaries mark it as a kokuji, a kanji made in Japan.
It is put together from three parts: 山 (mountain), 上 (going up) and 下 (going down). Together they name the spot on a mountain road where the way up turns into the way down: a pass.
The word was stretched further. Japanese also uses tōge for the peak of anything. When people say the summer heat is past its tōge, they mean the worst is over.
What we don’t claimWe don't claim China has no word for a mountain pass, and no date or inventor is known for this character. The spoken word tōge is native Japanese; what Japan made is the character.
Sources
- Kanjipedia (Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation), 峠
- Wiktionary, 峠
- Wikipedia, Kokuji
- Kotobank (Digital Daijisen, Shogakukan), 峠
Checked 2026-09-26. The story above is in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us on Instagram.
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