降ふりかかる

ふ

り

か

る

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

fall on; rain down; shower down

Describes something physically falling or raining down onto a person or surface, such as rain, ash, or sparks.

火か山ざん灰ばいが街まちに降ふりかかった。
Volcanic ash rained down on the town.
火ひの粉こが彼かれの頭あたまに降ふりかかった。
Sparks showered down onto his head.

2

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

befall; happen to

Used for abstract or undesirable events that come upon a person, such as misfortune, trouble, or a difficult fate.

思おもいがけない災さい難なんが彼かれに降ふりかかった。
An unexpected disaster befell him.
その責せき任にんはすべて私わたしに降ふりかかってきた。
All the responsibility fell on me.

Written forms

降ふりかかるUsage62%
Standard kanji spelling.
ふりかかるUsage35%
降ふり掛かかるUsage2%
Variant with 掛かる; also common.
降ふり懸かかるUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
振ふりかかる
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; not standard.

Kanji

降descend, precipitate, fall
掛hang, suspend, depend
懸state of suspension, hang, depend
振

Similar words

降ふる
降る is the general verb for rain/snow falling from the sky, while 降りかかる emphasizes falling onto a specific target.
襲おそう
襲う means to attack or strike, often with a sense of aggression; 降りかかる is more passive, like something befalling you.

Etymology

Compound of 降り (continuative form of 降る, 'to fall') + かかる ('to cover, to affect'). The literal sense of something falling and covering evolved into the figurative sense of events befalling someone.

shake, wave, wag