Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 3
下 down, below
- Meaning
- down, below
- On reading
- カ・ゲ
- Kun reading
- した・さ(げる)
Memory hook
The mirror image of 上: a stroke hanging under the line. カ or ゲ in compounds, した on its own, さ(げる) when it means to lower.
Words that use 下
下
した
below
下手
へた
unskilled
How to write 下
Stroke order · 3 strokes
1
2
3
- 1. The horizontal across the top.
- 2. The vertical through the centre.
- 3. The diagonal down to the right.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
下 is taught on day 11 of the kanji course, alongside 上 大 小, with two writing passes and a short quiz.