There is a cat under the desk.
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.
A number is written at the bottom of the page.
Please tap the bottom of the screen.
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.
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
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
I will do the preliminary preparations for the trip.
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.
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)