There is a cat under the desk.
坂の下で友だちを待った。
I waited for my friend at the bottom of the hill.
Refers to the bottom or lower part of a page, screen, list, object, or area, rather than necessarily the space underneath it.
ページの下に番号が書いてある。
A number is written at the bottom of the page.
画面の下をタップしてください。
Please tap the bottom of the screen.
younger; lower in rank; inferior
Extends the idea of being lower to age order, rank, ability, or status. 下の子 means a younger child; 下の者 means a subordinate or junior.
下の娘はまだ小学生です。
My younger daughter is still in elementary school.
実力は彼のほうが私より下だ。
In ability, he is below me.
下の者にも丁寧に接するべきだ。
You should treat even your subordinates politely.
Used mainly in the idiomatic pattern 下から or 下より after a verb, meaning that something happens immediately after the previous action, often despite a warning or expectation.
注意した下から、また同じミスをした。
No sooner had I warned him than he made the same mistake again.
Limited commercial shorthand connected with 下取り. In ordinary speech, the full word 下取り is clearer and much more explicit.
See also: 下取り
中古車販売の文脈では、「下」が「下取り」を指すことがある。
In the context of used-car sales, 下 can refer to a trade-in.
preliminary; preparatory
Prefix-like use in compounds such as 下準備, 下調べ, and 下書き, referring to something done in advance as groundwork or preparation.
See also: 下準備
旅行の下準備をしておく。
I will do the preliminary preparations for the trip.
発表の前に下調べをした。
I did some preliminary research before the presentation.
There's a book lying under the chair.
I rested for a bit under the tree.
His grades were second from the bottom.
He's three years younger than me.
底 is the physical bottom of a container or deep place, whereas 下 is the broader word for a lower position or underside in general.
下 is the everyday, general word for 'below/under', while 下方 is more formal and often used in technical, spatial, or directional contexts.
socks; stockings
younger; junior
fall below; be less than; be lower than
subordinate; underling; henchman; minion
downtown; traditional working-class area; low-lying commercial/residential district · Shitamachi; eastern Tokyo lowlands
groundwork; foundation; preparation · aptitude; inclination; elementary knowledge · undercoat; first coat; primer · soy sauce
lower left; bottom left
right under; directly below
under the floor; space beneath the floor
desk pad; underlay; writing mat · being pinned under; being trapped under; being crushed beneath · model; pattern; basis
ulterior motive; hidden agenda; secret intention · kanji 'heart' radical at bottom
subcontract; subcontracting · subcontractor
preliminary inspection; advance look · preparatory read-through; previewing notes · siding; clapboard; weatherboard
under a tree
underling; low-ranking person; grunt · petty; minor; lowly
subordinate; inferior; junior
draft; rough copy
lower abdomen; belly; underbelly
third highest division (sumo); wrestlers of the third highest division
lower rank; inferior status
pointing downward; facing down · downturn; decline; downward trend
dying down; waning; declining
trade-in; part exchange
preliminary investigation; advance research · preparation for class; studying ahead
armpit; underarm
putting beneath other goods; being at the bottom of the pile · lowly position; bottom of the ladder; obscurity
rough sketch; preliminary drawing; cartoon (for a painting or tapestry)