下 — below / down

Grade 1か, げ, した, さ

Radical ⼀ · radical 1 The building block this kanji is filed under

下 (readings: か, げ, した, さ; Japanese kanji) means “below / down”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 地下 (underground).

Try it now

What does 下 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	下
Meaning	below / down
Readings	か, げ, した, さ
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	地下 (underground)

How to read 下

下 is read か or げ or した or さ depending on the word.

Words with 下

地下ちかlòng đất
上下じょうげlên xuống
地下水ちかすいnước ngầm
落下rơi xuống
陛下bệ hạ
却下bác bỏ
廊下hành lang
下痢tiêu chảy
地下鉄tàu điện ngầm
城下町phố cổ

Learn 下 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09