Translation guide
Expresses the spatial or hierarchical relationship of things located higher and lower, or the idea of 'both above and below'.
Describing things located both higher and lower than a certain point, or in the upper and lower parts of something.
Noun meaning 'top and bottom' or 'upper and lower parts'. Often used with に or を to indicate location or movement.
Books are lined up on the top and bottom shelves.
The elevator moves up and down.
Literal 'above and below', using 上 (うえ) and 下 (した). More conversational than 上下.
Set phrase meaning 'up, down, left, right' – all directions. Used in instructions or descriptions.
Referring to people of higher and lower rank, status, or position in an organization.
Standard term for hierarchical relationships, especially in workplaces or schools.
In Japanese companies, the hierarchical relationships are strict.
Specifically 'superior and subordinate' in a workplace context.
Communication between superiors and subordinates is important.
Refers to people of higher and lower status in a broader social sense, not just work.
Use honorific language for people of higher status.
Referring to content that appears earlier or later in a written passage.
Describing something that moves or varies between high and low levels.
English 'above and below' often becomes 上下 (じょうげ) in Japanese, but in some contexts a more specific phrase is better. For example, 'the people above and below me' in a company is 上司と部下, not 私の上と下.
I cleaned above and below the desk.
You can scroll the screen up, down, left, and right.
As mentioned above, it can be solved by the method described below.
The temperature goes up and down drastically.