Do you know the DIFFERENCE?
坂 and 阪
Both mean HILL or SLOPE and both have the same readings.
Meaning: slope; incline; hill
Kun: さか
On: ハン
However, only this one is used for a literal "hill" today:
KANJI PARTS:
- 土 (dirt)
- 反 (return; go back)
To return 反 to dirt 土 may imply death. While 坂 today doesn't have that connotation (it just means "hill"), that might explain why...
This one is only used in names such as 大阪 Osaka
KANJI PARTS:
- 阝 (mound; dam)
- 反 (return; go back)
While it is used with people's names like 阪本 sakamoto, this character alone usually represents 大阪 Osaka.
Here are a few Osaka-related words:
- 大阪府 Osaka prefecture
- 阪神 Osaka-Kobe
- 京阪 Kyoto-Osaka
- 在阪 being in Osaka
- 帰阪 returning to Osaka
And, finally, a proverb:
口では大阪の城も建つ。
To build Osaka castle by talking.
(talk is cheap; easier said than done)
