Maps are just stories about earth wearing different outfits—mountains, rivers, plains, and the occasional dramatic volcano. In Mandarin, geography terms build from intuitive roots: 山 for mountains, 河 for rivers, 海 for seas, 原 for plateaus and plains. Learn the patterns in Traditional Chinese (with pinyin right after), then plug them into real-world sentences so you can talk hikes, beaches, road trips, and news about typhoons like a local.
Core Concepts You’ll Use Everywhere
地理
dì lǐ
Geography
地形
dì xíng
Landform / terrain
山＋脈 → 山脈（mountain range）；河＋口 → 河口（river mouth）；海＋灣 → 海灣（bay）。 Once you notice these building blocks, new words stop feeling random and start feeling logical.
Essential Vocabulary By Theme
山（shān, mountain）words help you talk about elevation and relief.
山
shān
Mountain
山脈
shān mài
Mountain range
山谷／谷
shān gǔ / gǔ
Valley
峽谷
xiá gǔ
Canyon
山丘／丘陵
shān qiū / qiū líng
Hill / rolling hills
火山
huǒ shān
Volcano
火山口
huǒ shān kǒu
Volcanic crater
冰川
bīng chuān
Glacier
海（hǎi, sea）and 水（shuǐ, water）roots cover coasts and waterways.
海洋／大海
hǎi yáng / dà hǎi
Ocean / the sea
海岸
hǎi àn
Coast
海邊
hǎi biān
Seaside / by the sea
海灘
hǎi tān
Beach (sandy)
海灣
hǎi wān
Bay
海峽
hǎi xiá
Strait
珊瑚礁
shān hú jiāo
Coral reef
河
hé
River
河流
hé liú
Rivers (as a system) / watercourse
支流
zhī liú
Tributary
河源／源頭
hé yuán / yuán tóu
River source
河口／出海口
hé kǒu / chū hǎi kǒu
Estuary / river mouth
三角洲
sān jiǎo zhōu
Delta
湖
hú
Lake
瀑布
pù bù
Waterfall
泉水
quán shuǐ
Spring (water)
溫泉
wēn quán
Hot spring
間歇泉
jiàn xiē quán
Geyser
平（píng, flat）and 原（yuán, plain/plateau）show up in wide-open places.
平原
píng yuán
Plain
高原
gāo yuán
Plateau
盆地
pén dì
Basin
草原
cǎo yuán
Grassland / prairie
沙漠
shā mò
Desert
綠洲
lǜ zhōu
Oasis
森林／雨林
sēn lín / yǔ lín
Forest / rainforest
沼澤／濕地
zhǎo zé / shī dì
Swamp / wetland
洞穴
dòng xuè
Cave
鐘乳石／石筍
zhōng rǔ shí / shí sǔn
Stalactite / stalagmite
地質與災害 terms help with news and safety.
地震
dì zhèn
Earthquake
斷層
duàn céng
Fault (geology)
火山灰
huǒ shān huī
Volcanic ash
土石流
tǔ shí liú
Debris flow / mudslide
颱風
tái fēng
Typhoon
Examples & Mini Dialogues
台灣地形概況（one-sentence overview you can adapt）
台灣有高山、海岸、平原，也有著名的峽谷和溫泉。
tái wān yǒu gāo shān, hǎi àn, píng yuán, yě yǒu zhù míng de xiá gǔ hé wēn quán
Taiwan has high mountains, coasts, plains, and well-known gorges and hot springs.
旅遊計畫
A：你週末想去海邊還是山上？
A: nǐ zhōu mò xiǎng qù hǎi biān hái shì shān shàng?
A: Do you want to go to the seaside or the mountains this weekend?
B：最近太熱，去山谷走步道好了。
B: zuì jìn tài rè, qù shān gǔ zǒu bù dào hǎo le
B: It’s too hot lately—let’s hike in a valley.
自然課討論
A：什麼是三角洲？
A: shén me shì sān jiǎo zhōu?
A: What is a delta?
B：河流在河口沉積形成像三角形的平地。
B: hé liú zài hé kǒu chén jī xíng chéng xiàng sān jiǎo xíng de píng dì
B: It’s flat land formed by river deposits at the mouth, triangular in shape.
泡湯行程
A：附近有溫泉或瀑布嗎？
A: fù jìn yǒu wēn quán huò pù bù ma?
A: Are there hot springs or a waterfall nearby?
B：有喔，開車二十分鐘就到。
B: yǒu o, kāi chē èr shí fēn zhōng jiù dào
B: Yes—twenty minutes by car.
Copy-Ready Patterns
這裡的地形以＿＿為主，還有＿＿和＿＿。
zhè lǐ de dì xíng yǐ ______ wéi zhǔ, hái yǒu ______ hé ______
The terrain here is mainly ______, with ______ and ______ as well.
河流從＿＿的源頭出發，最後在＿＿形成三角洲。
hé liú cóng ______ de yuán tóu chū fā, zuì hòu zài ______ xíng chéng sān jiǎo zhōu
The river starts at ______ and forms a delta at ______.
我們要沿著＿＿的山谷走到瀑布。
wǒ men yào yán zhe ______ de shān gǔ zǒu dào pù bù
We’ll follow the ______ valley to the waterfall.
這一帶屬於＿＿氣候，＿＿季常有颱風／土石流。
zhè yí dài shǔ yú ______ qì hòu, ______ jì cháng yǒu tái fēng / tǔ shí liú
This area has a ______ climate; in ______ season there are often typhoons/mudslides.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
海邊 vs. 海灘
海邊 is “by the sea/coast” (broad); 海灘 is specifically “sandy beach.”
河 vs. 河流
河 names a specific river; 河流 can mean rivers as a category or a watercourse system.
山 vs. 山脈
山 is a single mountain; 山脈 is a range (think spine/chain).
平原 vs. 高原
平原 is low, flat plains; 高原 is high, elevated flatlands (plateau).
河口 vs. 出海口
Both are “river mouth/estuary”; 出海口 emphasizes where the river meets the sea.
Quick Reference Table
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin |
| Geography | 地理 | dì lǐ |
| Landform / terrain | 地形 | dì xíng |
| Mountain / range | 山／山脈 | shān / shān mài |
| Valley / canyon | 山谷／峽谷 | shān gǔ / xiá gǔ |
| Hill / hills | 山丘／丘陵 | shān qiū / qiū líng |
| Volcano / crater | 火山／火山口 | huǒ shān / huǒ shān kǒu |
| Glacier | 冰川 | bīng chuān |
| Ocean / sea | 海洋／大海 | hǎi yáng / dà hǎi |
| Coast / seaside | 海岸／海邊 | hǎi àn / hǎi biān |
| Beach | 海灘 | hǎi tān |
| Bay / strait | 海灣／海峽 | hǎi wān / hǎi xiá |
| Coral reef | 珊瑚礁 | shān hú jiāo |
| River / tributary | 河／支流 | hé / zhī liú |
| Source / mouth | 源頭／河口 | yuán tóu / hé kǒu |
| Delta | 三角洲 | sān jiǎo zhōu |
| Lake / waterfall | 湖／瀑布 | hú / pù bù |
| Spring / hot spring | 泉水／溫泉 | quán shuǐ / wēn quán |
| Plain / plateau | 平原／高原 | píng yuán / gāo yuán |
| Basin | 盆地 | pén dì |
| Grassland | 草原 | cǎo yuán |
| Desert / oasis | 沙漠／綠洲 | shā mò / lǜ zhōu |
| Forest / rainforest | 森林／雨林 | sēn lín / yǔ lín |
| Swamp / wetland | 沼澤／濕地 | zhǎo zé / shī dì |
| Cave | 洞穴 | dòng xué |
| Earthquake / fault | 地震／斷層 | dì zhèn / duàn céng |
| Typhoon | 颱風 | tái fēng |
Pronunciation Tips
峽 xiá（2nd tone）needs a clean rising pitch; don’t flatten it.
脈 mài（4th tone）drops sharply; keep it distinct from 賣 mài by context.
洲 zhōu vs. 周 zhōu sound the same—use characters to keep meanings straight.
-ng endings（山谷 gǔ, 當 dāng）need a firm nasal close; avoid drifting to -n.
zh/ch/sh vs. z/c/s: 珊瑚礁 shān hú jiāo (sh/j) vs. 三角洲 sān jiǎo zhōu (s/j/zh) — articulate the tongue position change.
Practice Plan (Five Honest Minutes)
Read one themed chain aloud twice: 山 → 山谷 → 峽谷 → 瀑布 → 河口 → 三角洲.
Write two trip sentences with blanks filled: 我們要走到＿＿峽谷；今天去＿＿海灘。
Record a 15-second voice note describing your hometown terrain using three terms.
Make one news-style line: 因為＿＿（颱風／地震），＿＿地區出現＿＿（土石流／海水倒灌）。
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Once you see the roots—山、河、海、原—geography stops being a word list and becomes Lego. Snap the blocks together, and suddenly you can point at a map, a hike, or a headline and say exactly what the earth is wearing today.