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天下る (あまくだる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
descend from heaven ; come down from the sky
Literally describes a deity or heavenly being descending to earth. Also used figuratively for a high-ranking official moving to a private-sector post (amakudari).
あま
下くだ
っ
て
大おお
手て
企き
業ぎょう
の
役やく
員いん
に
なっ
た
。
The bureaucrat descended from the ministry and became an executive at a major corporation.
Written forms 天あま 下くだ る Usage 77%
Standard kanji spelling for the literal and figurative senses.
天あま 降くだ る Usage 23%
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 天下る.
Kanji 降 descend, precipitate, fall Etymology Compound of 天 (ama, 'heaven') and 下る (kudaru, 'descend'). The literal meaning is 'descend from heaven', and the figurative bureaucratic sense developed from the idea of a high-ranking official 'descending' to the private sector.