Origin

This character combines the mountain radical (山) at the top with a component (厓) below that suggests a jagged or broken edge. The mountain part makes clear the character refers to a natural geological formation, while the lower component adds the sense of something sharp, steep, or fractured—exactly the qualities of a cliff face. Together, they create the image of a mountain that drops away sharply, which is what a cliff or precipice is. The reading "がけ" (slope or cliff) comes from this combined visual meaning.