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.
棚の上下に本が並んでいる。
Books are lined up on the top and bottom shelves.
エレベーターが上下に動く。
The elevator moves up and down.
Literal 'above and below', using 上 (うえ) and 下 (した). More conversational than 上下.
机の上と下を掃除した。
I cleaned above and below the desk.
Set phrase meaning 'up, down, left, right' – all directions. Used in instructions or descriptions.
画面を上下左右にスクロールできます。
You can scroll the screen up, down, left, and right.
Referring to people of higher and lower rank, status, or position in an organization.
Standard term for hierarchical relationships, especially in workplaces or schools.
日本の会社では上下関係が厳しい。
In Japanese companies, the hierarchical relationships are strict.
Specifically 'superior and subordinate' in a workplace context.
上司と部下のコミュニケーションが大切だ。
Communication between superiors and subordinates is important.
Refers to people of higher and lower status in a broader social sense, not just work.
目上の人には敬語を使う。
Use honorific language for people of higher status.
Referring to content that appears earlier or later in a written passage.
Formal written terms meaning 'the above-mentioned' and 'the below-mentioned'.
詳細は上記と下記をご参照ください。
Please refer to the above and below for details.
More formal/literary: 'aforementioned' and 'described later'.
前述の通り、後述の方法で解決できる。
As mentioned above, it can be solved by the method described below.
Describing something that moves or varies between high and low levels.
Verb meaning 'to rise and fall', 'to fluctuate'. Used for prices, temperatures, etc.
株価が激しく上下している。
Stock prices are fluctuating wildly.
Noun meaning 'ups and downs', often for physical movement or emotional states.
気温の上がり下がりが激しい。
The temperature goes up and down drastically.
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.