Translation guide
Describes movement that goes up and down, or changes that increase and decrease. In Japanese, this is often expressed with paired verbs, compound words, or mimetic words depending on the context.
To describe something physically moving upward and then downward, like a bouncing ball, a floating object, or a person's body.
A noun or suru-verb meaning 'up and down', 'rising and falling'. Used for vertical movement, fluctuations, or the top and bottom of something.
エレベーターが上下する。
The elevator goes up and down.
船が波で上下に揺れた。
The boat rocked up and down on the waves.
A common pattern using the -tari form of 上がる (rise) and 下がる (fall) to describe repeated rising and falling.
気温が上がったり下がったりしている。
The temperature keeps rising and falling.
彼はベッドの上で上がったり下がったり跳ねた。
He bounced up and down on the bed.
Literally 'floating and sinking', used for physical bobbing on water or metaphorically for ups and downs in life.
落ち葉が水面で浮き沈みしている。
Fallen leaves are bobbing up and down on the water.
Formal term for ascending and descending, often used for elevators, aircraft, or mechanical systems.
エレベーターの昇降ボタン
elevator up/down buttons
To describe values, prices, or quantities that go up and down over time.
The same pattern works for abstract fluctuations like prices or stock markets.
株価が上がったり下がったりして不安定だ。
Stock prices are rising and falling and are unstable.
Means 'fluctuation' or 'change'. Often used in economic contexts. Can be combined with 上下する for emphasis.
為替レートが激しく変動している。
Exchange rates are fluctuating wildly.
Means 'increase and decrease'. More formal and often used in reports.
To describe the melody of speech, such as a rising tone at the end of a question or a falling tone at the end of a statement.
Noun form meaning 'rise and fall', often used for intonation or pitch accent.
日本語のイントネーションの上がり下がりに注意してください。
Please pay attention to the rising and falling intonation of Japanese.
Specifically means 'intonation' or 'modulation' of voice. Often used in linguistic contexts.
To describe the highs and lows of life, mood, or fortune.
Metaphorically used for the vicissitudes of life, emotional ups and downs.
人生には浮き沈みがつきものだ。
Life has its ups and downs.
Literally 'wave', often used in phrases like 感情の波 (waves of emotion) to imply rising and falling feelings.
上がったり下がったり emphasizes repeated or alternating movement, while 上下する is a more general term for vertical movement or fluctuation. Use the -tari form when you want to stress the back-and-forth nature.
株価が上下する。
Stock prices go up and down (general statement).
株価が上がったり下がったりしている。
Stock prices are repeatedly rising and falling (emphasizing instability).
English 'rising and falling' is not naturally translated as ライジング・アンド・フォーリング. Use the Japanese expressions provided.
人口の増減を調べる。
to examine the rise and fall of the population
彼の話し方には抑揚がない。
His speech lacks rising and falling intonation.
My emotions go up and down intensely.
A four-character idiom meaning 'flourishing and declining', the rise and fall of fortunes. Very literary.
栄枯盛衰は世の習い。
The rise and fall of fortunes is the way of the world.