Translation guide
How to express 'lay face down' in Japanese, covering placing objects face down, lying face down oneself, and related expressions.
Lay the card face down.
He lay face down on the bed.
To put something (a card, a book, a phone) with its front or face downward.
Literally 'place it turned inside out/back side up'. This is the most common and natural way to say 'lay something face down'.
Please lay the card face down.
He laid his smartphone face down on the desk.
Uses the verb 伏せる (to turn down, to lay face down). Often used for cards or flat objects.
Please lay the playing cards face down.
A verb meaning 'to lay something face down' or 'to turn something over'. Can be used alone.
To position one's own body with the front facing downward.
The standard expression for 'to lie face down' or 'to be in a prone position'. うつ伏せ means 'lying on one's stomach'.
He lay face down on the bed.
Sleeping face down is uncomfortable.
Specifically 'to sleep face down'.
Do not lay the baby face down to sleep.
Literally 'become belly crawl'. Means to lie flat on one's stomach, often with a nuance of crawling or being prostrate.
The soldiers lay face down and hid.
To place another person in a face-down position.
うつ伏せ is the general term for lying face down, used in daily life and medical contexts. 腹ばい often implies a crawling posture or being prostrate, and can sound more deliberate or military.
Read a book lying on one's stomach.
Crawl forward on one's stomach.
While 顔を下にして (face down) can describe a person's position, it is not natural for objects. Use 裏返しに or 伏せて for things.
Please place your phone face down on the table.
The doctor asked me to lie face down on the examination table.
Lay the card face down.