下くだる

く

だ

る

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

Intransitive motion downward, often along a road, slope, river, or from a higher place to a lower one. A route may be marked with を, as in 川を下る.

午ご後ご、船ふねで川かわを下くだった。
In the afternoon, we went down the river by boat.

2

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be handed down

; be issued

; be given

Used of an order, judgment, verdict, or official decision coming down from an authority.

裁さい判ばん所しょから判はん決けつが下くだった。
A judgment was handed down by the court.

3

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

pass; move to a later time

Used especially in written or historical contexts for time moving forward or a period becoming later, as in 時代が下る.

時じ代だいが下くだるにつれて、表ひょう記きも変かわっていった。
As time passed, the writing style also changed.

4

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

surrender; capitulate; submit

Used when a person, army, castle, or group yields to an opponent or authority. 降る is a natural spelling for this sense, though 下る is also seen.

城じょう兵へいはついに敵てきに降くだった。
The castle soldiers finally surrendered to the enemy.

5

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

be less than; be inferior to

Most often appears in the negative form 下らない, meaning 'not less than' a number or 'not inferior to' someone or something. The numeric construction is relatively common in formal writing; the inferiority sense is stiffer and less common.

参さん加か者しゃは五ご千せん人にんを下くだらないだろう。
The number of participants will probably be no fewer than five thousand.
彼かれの腕うで前まえは師しに下くだらない。
His skill is not inferior to his teacher's.

6

godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb

have diarrhea; have the runs

Commonly used in the fixed expression 腹が下る, literally 'one's stomach/bowels go down.' The rare spelling 瀉る may be seen for this medical or bodily sense.

Written forms

下くだるUsage69%
Main, high-priority spelling for going downward and for most extended senses such as an order being issued, time moving on, or numbers being no less than a certain amount.
くだるUsage31%
降くだるUsage<1%
Usable for the surrender or capitulation sense, as in 敵に降る. Be aware that 降る is more often read ふる in the separate meaning 'to fall' of rain or snow.
瀉くだる
Rare spelling noted for the diarrhea sense; 下る is the practical spelling in ordinary writing.

Kanji

下below, down, descend
降descend, precipitate, fall

Similar words

上のぼる
The opposite direction: to go up, ascend, or go upstream, whereas 下る means to go down or downstream.
降おりる
Means to get down, get off, or descend from a vehicle or place; 下る emphasizes downward movement along a route or from higher to lower.
下くだす
The transitive counterpart in several senses: to hand down a decision, send something down, or cause diarrhea; 下る is intransitive.
降こう参さんする
A straightforward modern verb for surrendering or giving up; 敵に降る or 敵に下る has a more narrative or military tone.

Etymology

くだる is a native Japanese verb meaning movement downward. The spelling 下る directly reflects the idea of going down; 降る is conventionally associated with yielding or coming down under another's power. The precise historical development of the extended senses is not specified.