下 meaning and stroke order
Down; downwards; below
How to write 下, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 下
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- down
- downwards
- below
- lower
- later
- next (week etc)
How 下 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. One stroke under another; compare 上 (above).
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 下
下 (xià) is a flat line 一 with a stroke hanging down beneath it, like something dangling below a ceiling. It is the mirror of 上 (shàng, above), where the stroke points up from the line.
下 marks direction or position below, as in 楼下 (lóu xià, downstairs), and also means "next" in time, as in 下次 (xià cì, next time). As a verb it means to go down or get off, and it also describes weather falling from the sky. Example: 外面在下雨。(Wàimiàn zài xià yǔ.) It is raining outside.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 上 and 下 when writing. In 下 the vertical stroke hangs below the top line, and the small dot slants to the right. Also note that in 坐下 (zuò xia) the 下 is usually said in the neutral tone, not a full fourth tone.
Common words with 下
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 坐下 | zuò xia | to sit down | HSK 1 |
| 下次 | xià cì | next time | HSK 1 |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon; p.m. | HSK 1 |
| 下车 | xià chē | to get off or out of (a bus, train, car etc) | HSK 1 |
| 楼下 | lóu xià | downstairs | HSK 1 |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) | HSK 1 |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain | HSK 1 |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class | HSK 1 |
| 下边 | xiàbian | under; the underside | HSK 1 |
| 一下儿 | yīxiàr | erhua form of 一下[yi1 xia4] | HSK 1 |
| 留下 | liúxia | to leave behind; to stay behind | HSK 2 |
| 放下 | fàngxia | to lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside | HSK 2 |
| 接下来 | jiē xiàlái | to accept; to take | HSK 2 |
| 下周 | xià zhōu | next week | HSK 2 |
下 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 下
Learning 下 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 下
How many strokes are in 下?
下 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 下 mean?
下 (xià) means down; downwards; below. A common word with it is 坐下 (zuò xia), meaning "to sit down".
How do you pronounce 下?
下 is pronounced xià, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 下?
The radical of 下 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 下 under this radical.
Is 下 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 下 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Does 下 mean next or last, as in 下个星期?
下个星期 (xià ge xīngqī) means next week. Chinese pictures time as flowing downward, so 下 is the future and 上 is the past, as in 上个星期 (shàng ge xīngqī, last week).
Why is 下 used in 下午 for afternoon?
午 refers to noon, so 下午 (xiàwǔ) is the part of the day after noon. Its partner is 上午 (shàngwǔ), the morning before noon.