KanjiJLPT N2
Valley

Mnemonic

A person with makeshift wings leaps off a cliff and soars into a vast valley. Far below, the canyon floor splits open like a gaping mouth, as if the earth itself is hungry, ready to devour anyone who descends too deep.
Additional thoughts
Visualize the person spiraling downward on hang-glider wings, the valley narrowing until its bottom is literally shaped like an enormous open mouth. The descent flows top-down: wings carry person into valley, which ends at the mouth-shaped gorge.
Quick recall
A person on wings dives into a valley whose floor gapes like a hungry mouth.

Details

The keyword for 谷 is valley. This kanji represents a valley, the low-lying area of land between hills or mountains, often carved by a river or stream. It depicts the shape of a narrow gorge or ravine where water flows downward between two slopes. The character is used broadly to refer to any kind of valley, hollow, or gorge in the natural landscape.
On'yomi
こく
Kun'yomi
たに、きわ.まる