下 — “below / down” in Japanese

Grade 1か, げ, した, さ

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

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

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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 ka (か) or ge (げ) or shita (した) or sa (さ) depending on the word.

Words with 下

地下ちか
上下じょうげ
地下水ちかすい
落下
陛下
却下
廊下
下痢
地下鉄
城下町

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Kanji read the same way as 下

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28