下

下 U+4E0B, 下 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E0B ← 上 [U+4E0A] CJK Unified Ideographs 丌 → [U+4E0C]

𝍴 U+1D374, 𝍴 IDEOGRAPHIC TALLY MARK THREE ← 𝍳 [U+1D373] Counting Rod Numerals 𝍵 → [U+1D375]

Stroke order

Stroke order

下 (Kangxi radical 1, 一+2, 3 strokes, cangjie input 一卜 (MY), four-corner 1023₀, composition ⿱一卜)

• 吓, 圷, 虾, 乤, 忑, 颪, 芐, 雫, 梺, 疜, 閇

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 76, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14
• Dae Jaweon: page 147, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 7, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4E0B

simp. and trad.		下
alternative forms		丅 ancient 𠄟

In oracle bone script, it is an ideogram (指事) that shows the concept of "down" by showing one line below another (contrast 上). This form evolved into 下 in later scripts, the character used today.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(k/g)la-k/j/t (“to fall”) (STEDT):

• inside Sinitic, cognate with 落 (OC *ɡ·raːɡ, “to fall, to drop”), 露 (OC *ɡ·raːɡs, “dew”), 陊 (OC *l'aːlʔ, *l'alʔ, “to collapse”) and 阤 (OC *l'alʔ, *hljalʔ, “hillside, slope”);
• outside Sinitic, cognate with Mizo tla ~ tlâk (“to fall”), thla ~ thlâk (“to drop”), Burmese ကျ (kya., “to fall”) and ချ (hkya., “to drop”).

Schuessler (2007) instead proposed an Austroasiatic origin by comparing 下 (OC *ɡraːʔ, “to descend, down, below”) to Khmer [script needed] (gra'ka, “be low, debased”); additionally, he suggested that Sino-Tibetan influence had possibly caused the weakening of foreign final *-k to OC final *-ʔ. He derives the departing tone (去聲) pronunciation via two derivations:

• 下 (OC *ɡraːs, “to be put down”) is an exopassive derivation (ibid.);
• 下 (OC *ɡraːs, “to descend, to fall”) is a later, general departing tone derivative (ibid.).

下

1. lower part of; under

   樹下／树下  ―  shùxià  ―  under the tree

   樓下／楼下  ―  lóuxià  ―  downstairs

2. under the influence of; with

   在這些條件下／在这些条件下  ―  zài zhèxiē tiáojiàn xià  ―  under these conditions

   在朋友的幫助下／在朋友的帮助下  ―  zài péngyǒu de bāngzhù xià  ―  with help from friends

   在藥師指導下／在药师指导下  ―  zài yàoshī zhǐdǎo xià  ―  under the instruction of a pharmacist

3. lower; located below

   下層／下层  ―  xiàcéng  ―  lower level

4. later; next

   下個世紀／下个世纪  ―  xià ge shìjì  ―  the next century

   下卷  ―  xiàjuǎn  ―  Volume II

   下一站  ―  xià yī zhàn  ―  The next station is... (used in public transport announcements)

5. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) inferior, poor

   下人  ―  xiàrén  ―  servant

   下品  ―  xiàpǐn  ―  inferior products

6. (literary or Xiang) low

• 上 (shàng)
• (Min) 頂
• (Wu) 浪

下

1. to go down; to descend (as complement) downwards; down

   你快下來。／你快下来。  ―  Nǐ kuài xià lái.  ―  Come down here.

   下海  ―  xiàhǎi  ―  to go to sea

   下樓／下楼  ―  xiàlóu  ―  to go downstairs

   下山  ―  xiàshān  ―  to go down the mountain

   走下  ―  zǒuxià  ―  to walk down

   落下  ―  luòxià  ―  to fall down

   跳下深淵／跳下深渊  ―  tiàoxià shēnyuān  ―  to jump down to an abyss

   1. (as complement) completely, thoroughly

      拿下  ―  náxià  ―  to capture; to arrest

      打下基礎／打下基础  ―  dǎxià jīchǔ  ―  to lay the foundation

2. to get out of; to leave; to alight; to get off

   下船  ―  xiàchuán  ―  to disembark from a boat

   下床  ―  xiàchuáng  ―  to get out of bed

   1. to finish, to complete

      下班  ―  xiàbān  ―  to get off work

      下課／下课  ―  xiàkè  ―  to finish class

3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to go to somewhere considered poor or inferior

   下鄉／下乡  ―  xiàxiāng  ―  to go to the countryside

   下館子／下馆子  ―  xiàguǎnzǐ  ―  to go to the restaurant

   下野  ―  xiàyě  ―  to be forced to step down

4. to give or issue something to an inferior person

   下令  ―  xiàlìng  ―  to issue an order

   1. to send an invitation

      下戰書／下战书  ―  xià zhànshū  ―  to send a letter of challenge

5. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to stay the night

   下榻  ―  xiàtà  ―  to stay the night

6. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to conquer

   連下三城／连下三城  ―  lián xià sān chéng  ―  to achieve three goals successively (lit. "to conquer three forts successively")

7. (colloquial) short for 下載 (“to download”)

   先去下個軟件。／先去下个软件。  ―  Xiān qù xià ge ruǎnjiàn.  ―  Download the software first.

8. (colloquial) short for 下線 (“to log out”)

• 落 (luò)

下

1. (transitive) (with limited objects, often figuratively) to put something down
   1. to use; to start doing something; to put in an effort

      下手  ―  xiàshǒu  ―  to start doing (lit., "to put the hands")

      下筆／下笔  ―  xiàbǐ  ―  to start writing (lit., "to put the inkbrush down")

      下腳／下脚  ―  xiàjiǎo  ―  to have a small place to stand in (lit., "to put the feet down")

      下藥／下药  ―  xiàyào  ―  1) to prescribe medicine; 2) to drug someone

      下毒  ―  xiàdú  ―  to poison someone

      下力  ―  xiàlì  ―  to make an effort

      下命 [Hokkien]  ―  hē-miā [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to go all out

      下心神 [Hokkien]  ―  hē sim-sîn [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to concentrate (on doing something)

   2. to sow; to plant

      下種／下种  ―  xiàzhǒng  ―  to sow seeds

   3. to give money; to put in capital

      下本錢／下本钱  ―  xià běnqián  ―  to put in capital

   4. (chiefly Mandarin, Jin) to rain or snow

      Synonym: 落

      下雪  ―  xiàxuě  ―  to snow

      下雨  ―  xiàyǔ  ―  to rain

   5. (chiefly Mandarin, Jin) to give birth (as an animal)

      Synonym: 生

      下豬仔／下猪仔  ―  xià zhūzaǐ  ―  to have piglets

      下蛋  ―  xiàdàn  ―  to lay eggs

   6. (Mandarin) to move (in chess)
   7. (chiefly Mandarin, Wu) to put food into boiling water

      下麵條／下面条  ―  xià miàntiáo  ―  to put noodles into boiling water

      下餃子／下饺子  ―  xià jiǎozǐ  ―  to put dumplings into boiling water

   8. (Hokkien) to bribe

      下賂／下赂 [Hokkien]  ―  hē-lō͘ [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to give a bribe

   9. (Min, Taishanese) to put in; to add (a condiment, etc.)

      下鹽／下盐 [Hokkien]  ―  hē-iâm [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to put salt (in food)

   10. (Hokkien) to load; to ship
   11. (Hokkien) to make a vow

       下願／下愿 [Hokkien]  ―  hē-goān [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to make a vow (to a god)

       下神下佛 [Hokkien]  ―  hē-sîn hē-pu̍t [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to vow to spirits and buddhas

   12. (Hokkien, Ningbonese) to fertilize
   13. (Ningbonese) to fill (ammunition)
   14. (Hakka) to remove, to take off (especially a hat)

       下帽仔 [Sixian Hakka]  ―  há mo-é [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]  ―  to take off the hat

       窗簾下下來洗撇知 [Meixian Hakka, trad.]
       窗帘下下来洗撇知 [Meixian Hakka, simp.]

       cung¹ liam² ha³ ha¹ loi² sê³ pêd⁵ di¹ [Hakka Transliteration Scheme]

       Take down the curtains and wash them.

simp. and trad.		下
alternative forms		吓 Cantonese

下

1. Classifier for the number of occurrences: time

   敲三下門。／敲三下门。  ―  Qiāo sān xià mén.  ―  Knock at the door three times.

2. (colloquial) (as complement) short for 一下
   1. for a short time; for one moment

      等下  ―  děng xià  ―  wait a moment

   2. give something a go

      看下  ―  kàn xià  ―  take a look

      睇下 [Cantonese]  ―  tai² haa⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  take a look

      聞下／闻下 [Cantonese]  ―  man⁴ haa⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  try smelling it

3. (historical, obsolete) synonym of 點 / 点 (diǎn): an ancient unit of time, equal to 24 minutes

simp. and trad.		下
alternative forms		低 Southern Min

下 (Eastern Min, Southern Min)

1. low; short

• “下”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00005
• “下”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: げ (ge, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: か (ka, Jōyō)
• Kun: した (shita, 下, Jōyō)、しも (shimo, 下, Jōyō)、もと (moto, 下, Jōyō)、さがる (sagaru, 下がる, Jōyō)、さげる (sageru, 下げる, Jōyō)、くだる (kudaru, 下る, Jōyō)、くだす (kudasu, 下す, Jōyō)、くださる (kudasaru, 下さる, Jōyō)、おりる (oriru, 下りる, Jōyō)、おろす (orosu, 下ろす, Jōyō)

Kanji in this term
下
した Grade: 1
kun'yomi

/sita/ → /ɕita/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *sita.

• (Tokyo) した [shìtá] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ta̠]

下(した) • (shita) 

1. the underneath

   Antonym: 上 (ue)

   • 1928, Motojirō Kajii, Sakura no ki no shita ni wa [Under the cherry trees]‎^[2], Modern kanji and kana edition:

     桜(さくら)の樹(き)の下(した)には屍体(したい)が埋(う)まっている！これは信(しん)じていいことなんだよ。

     Sakura no ki no shita ni wa shitai ga umatte iru! Kore wa shinjite ii koto na n da yo.

     There are dead bodies buried under the cherry trees! This is something you should believe.

• 下(した)着(ぎ) (shitagi, “underwear”)
• 靴(くつ)下(した) (kutsushita, “socks”)
• 幕(まく)下(した) (makushita)

Kanji in this term
下
しも Grade: 1
kun'yomi

⟨simo₁⟩ → /simʷo/ → /ɕimo/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *simo.

• (Tokyo) しも [shìmóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕimo̞]

下(しも) • (shimo) 

1. the lower portion, end

   Antonym: 上 (kami)

2. lowness in degree or rank
3. the downstream portion of a river
4. the downriver area
5. the area farther from the capital
6. the last part of a month, year, etc.
7. the lower half of the body
8. (euphemistic) private parts
9. (euphemistic) feces and urine, excrement

Kanji in this term
下
もと Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
許

Cognate with 本 (moto, “origin”).^[3][4]

• 元, 許

• (Tokyo) もと [mòtóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [mo̞to̞]

下(もと) • (moto) 

1. the lower portion, base
2. under the influence of

   同(どう)意(い)のもと、 […]

   dōi no moto, […]

   with permission, […]

Kanji in this term
下
げ Grade: 1
goon

From Middle Chinese 下 (MC haeX|haeH).

• (Tokyo) げ [géꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2]
• (Tokyo) げ [gè] (Heiban – [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɡe̞]

下(げ) • (ge) 

1. the last volume in a two- or three-volume set
2. bottom, low

Kanji in this term
下
か Grade: 1
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 下 (MC haeX|haeH).

• IPA^(key): [ka̠]

下(か) • (ka) 

1. down; below; beneath

下(か) • (-ka) 

1. under a situation

下 (eumhun 아래 하 (arae ha))

1. (only used in compounds) hanja form^? of 하 (“below; bottom; lower; underneath”)

Attested in the 沖縄語典 (Okinawa Goten, “Okinawan Dictionary”) as しちや.^[1]

Cognate with mainland Japanese 下 (shita).

下(しちゃ) (shicha) 

1. the below

• 下(しちゃ)着(ぢ) (shichaji, “underwear”)

From Proto-Japonic *sita.

下 (sita) (kana した)

1. the below
   1. looking down
      • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 57:

        ...佐斯夫袁佐斯夫能紀斯賀斯多迩淤斐陀弖流波毘呂由都麻都婆岐...

        ...sasibu wo sasibu no₂ ki₂ si ga sita ni opi₂dateru pabi₁ro₂ yu tu ma-tubaki₁...

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. a place
      • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 5:

        ..多久夫須麻佐夜具賀斯多爾阿和由岐能和加夜流牟泥遠多久豆怒能斯路岐多陀牟岐...

        ...takubusuma sayagu ga sita ni wakayaru mune wo takuduno₁ no₂ siro₁ki₁ tadamuki...

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   Antonym: 上 (upe₂)

• 下問ひ, 下訪ひ (sitado₁pi₁)
• 下泣き (sitanaki₁)
• 天の下 (ame₂no₂sita)

• Japanese: 下 (shita)

From Proto-Japonic *simo.

下 (simo₁ → simo) (kana しも)

1. the lower part

   Antonym: 上 (kami₁)

• Japanese: 下 (shimo)

下: Hán Việt readings: hạ^[1][2][3]
下: Nôm readings: hạ^[1][2][3]

1. chữ Hán form of hạ (“to lower; to bring down; to take down”)

• 天下 (thiên hạ)