Translation guide
How to express 'hold down' in Japanese, covering physical restraint, securing objects, keeping something low, and maintaining a job or position.
To use force to keep someone or something from moving, often by pressing them against a surface.
The most common and natural way to say 'hold someone down' by applying physical pressure. Implies forceful restraint.
警察が容疑者を地面に押さえつけた。
The police held the suspect down on the ground.
彼は暴れる弟を必死で押さえつけた。
He desperately held down his struggling younger brother.
Often used for subduing and restraining a person, especially in the context of capturing or stopping someone. Slightly more formal or dramatic.
警備員が不審者を取り押さえた。
The security guard held down the suspicious person.
Similar to 押さえつける, but emphasizes holding someone down and keeping them contained, often for a longer duration.
レスラーが相手をマットに押さえ込んだ。
The wrestler held his opponent down on the mat.
To fasten or weigh something down to prevent it from shifting, blowing away, or coming loose.
General term for fixing or securing something in place. Works for holding down objects with tape, weights, clamps, etc.
風で飛ばないように、シートを石で固定した。
I held the sheet down with stones so it wouldn't blow away.
テーブルクロスをクリップで固定してください。
Please hold down the tablecloth with clips.
Specifically means to place a weight on something to hold it down. Common for papers, fabrics, or light objects.
書類が散らからないように、文鎮を重しにのせた。
I put a paperweight on the documents to hold them down.
A versatile verb meaning to press or hold something down with your hand or an object. Can be used for temporarily securing items.
To prevent something from rising or increasing, such as costs, sound, or feelings.
Widely used for suppressing, controlling, or keeping something down. Applies to prices, emotions, noise, etc.
政府は物価を抑えるために努力している。
The government is trying to hold down prices.
彼は怒りを抑えることができなかった。
He couldn't hold down his anger.
Explicitly means 'to keep low,' often used for costs, volume, or profile.
音量を低く抑えてください。
Please hold down the volume.
Formal term for restraining or curbing something, often used in economic or technical contexts.
インフレを抑制する政策が求められている。
Policies to hold down inflation are needed.
To manage to stay in a job, especially when it is difficult or one is unreliable.
The most natural way to express 'hold down a job' in the sense of keeping it over time. Literally 'continue a job.'
彼はなかなか仕事を続けられない。
He can't seem to hold down a job.
A more formal way to say 'maintain employment.' Used in serious or written contexts.
健康上の理由で職を維持するのが難しくなった。
It became difficult to hold down a job due to health reasons.
Casual loanword expression, often used among younger people. Not suitable for formal situations.
あいつ、やっと仕事をキープできるようになったみたい。
Looks like he can finally hold down a job.
To press and keep a button or key pressed for a period of time.
Standard term for 'long press' on touchscreens or buttons. Used in tech contexts.
アプリアイコンを長押しするとメニューが表示されます。
Hold down the app icon to display the menu.
Literally 'continue pressing.' Can be used for physical buttons or keys.
電源ボタンを押し続けてください。
Hold down the power button.
Both are read おさえる, but 押さえる is used for physical holding/pressing, while 抑える is for suppressing abstract things like emotions, prices, or noise. For 'hold down' in a physical sense, use 押さえる or compounds like 押さえつける.
箱のふたを手で押さえた。
I held down the lid of the box with my hand.
彼は笑いを抑えられなかった。
He couldn't hold back his laughter.
Do not directly translate 'hold down' as 押さえる when talking about employment. Use 仕事を続ける or similar phrases. Saying 仕事を押さえる would mean physically pressing a job, which is nonsensical.
I held down the page with a book because the wind was flipping it.