下
下 — Below
below, down, descend, give, low, inferior
On’yomiカ (ka)
On’yomiゲ (ge)
Kun’yomiした (shita)
Kun’yomiしも (shimo)
Kun’yomiもと (moto)
Kun’yomiさげる (sageru)
Kun’yomiさがる (sagaru)
Stroke order (3 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 下
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 引き下げ | ひきさげ hikisage | reduction; cut |
| 下院 | かいん kain | lower house; lower legislative chamber |
| 下車 | げしゃ gesha | alighting (from a train, bus, etc.); getting off; getting out (of a car) |
| 地下 | ちか chika | underground; below the ground; world of the dead |
| 低下 | ていか teika | fall; decline; lowering |
| 以下 | いか ika | not exceeding ...; not more than ...; ... and under |
Study notes
下 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 3 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #97 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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