落おとす

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

drop; let fall; lose; cast downward

Core physical use: something is made to fall or is accidentally dropped or lost. Also used with 視線, 光, and small amounts of liquid, as in lowering one's gaze or dropping liquid into something.

• 駅えきで財さい布ふを落おとしてしまった。

  I dropped and lost my wallet at the station.

• 彼かの女じょは黙だまって視し線せんを落おとした。

  She silently lowered her gaze.

• コーヒーにミルクを一いっ滴てき落おとした。

  I dropped a bit of milk into the coffee.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

clean off; remove; leave out

Used for removing makeup, dirt, stains, paint, facial hair, or for omitting an item from a list, text, or selection.

• 帰かえったらすぐ化け粧しょうを落おとす。

  I remove my makeup as soon as I get home.

• この洗せん剤ざいなら油あぶら汚よごれも落おとせる。

  This detergent can remove even grease stains.

• 名めい簿ぼから彼かれの名な前まえを落おとした。

  They left his name off the list.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

spend money; lose money

With お金 or a money amount, often means to spend money at a place, especially as customers or tourists; in gambling-like contexts it can mean to lose money.

• 観かん光こう客きゃくが地じ元もとの店みせでお金かねを落おとしてくれる。

  Tourists spend money at local shops.

• 競けい馬ばで大たい金きんを落おとした。

  He lost a large sum of money on horse racing.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

secretly let escape

A limited and uncommon use meaning to let a prisoner or similar person escape secretly. It is not the normal modern verb for 'let escape,' which is usually 逃がす.

• 古ふるい用よう法ほうでは、「罪ざい人にんを落おとす」が罪ざい人にんをひそかに逃にがす意い味みになることがある。

  In older usage, 罪人を落とす can mean to secretly let a criminal escape.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

lose a match; drop a game

Used when a team or player loses a match, game, set, or other contest that they had been playing.

• 大だい事じな試し合あいを落おとして、チームは首しゅ位いから下さがった。

  The team lost an important match and fell from first place.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

reject; fail someone; defeat in an election

Transitive use from the viewpoint of a judge, school, employer, voters, or similar authority: to make someone fail, reject an applicant, or remove a candidate by defeating them.

• 面めん接せつで何なん人にんかの応おう募ぼ者しゃを落おとした。

  They rejected several applicants at the interview stage.

• 教きょう授じゅは出しゅっ席せき不ぶ足そくの学がく生せいを落おとした。

  The professor failed the students who lacked attendance.

• 選せん挙きょで現げん職しょくを落おとすのは簡かん単たんではない。

  It is not easy to defeat an incumbent in an election.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

lower; reduce; degrade; fall on hard times

Used for lowering a voice or shoulders, reducing weight or output, worsening quality or reputation, and in 身を落とす for sinking into reduced circumstances or a degraded position.

• 少すこし声こえを落おとして話はなした。

  He lowered his voice a little as he spoke.

• 品ひん質しつを落おとさずにコストを下さげたい。

  We want to lower costs without reducing quality.

• 彼かれは借しゃっ金きんで身みを落おとした。

  He fell on hard times because of debt.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

put down; speak badly of; make light of

Used for lowering someone in others' estimation: disparaging them, belittling them, or making them look worse.

• 他た人にんを落おとして自じ分ぶんをよく見みせるのはやめなさい。

  Stop putting others down to make yourself look good.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

capture; take; win at auction; force surrender

Used for taking a castle, stronghold, or target by overcoming resistance, and for successfully winning an item with a bid at auction.

• その軍ぐんは三みっ日かで城しろを落おとした。

  The army took the castle in three days.

• オークションで古ふるい時計とけいを落おとした。

  I won an old watch at auction.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

break down; force a confession; convince forcefully

Used when pressure, questioning, negotiation, or persuasion finally makes someone yield, confess, or accept a position. This overlaps with colloquial 'win over' uses but is often stronger.

• 刑けい事じは粘ねばり強づよい取とり調しらべで容よう疑ぎ者しゃを落おとした。

  The detective wore the suspect down into confessing through persistent questioning.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

put into a bad state; bring into sin or difficulty

Less common or literary-feeling use for making someone or something fall into a dilemma, sin, or other bad state. Modern Japanese often uses 陥れる or 陥らせる for this idea.

• 軽けい率そつな判はん断だんが会かい社しゃを窮きゅう地ちに落おとした。

  A careless decision put the company in a difficult position.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

download; copy to another medium

Computing use: to download data or copy it down from a computer or network to another device or storage medium.

• 資し料りょうをパソコンに落おとしてから読よむ。

  I download the materials to my computer before reading them.

• スマホにアプリを落おとした。

  I downloaded the app to my phone.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

make someone pass out

Martial arts use, especially in judo contexts, for making an opponent lose consciousness, commonly with a choke or similar technique.

• 柔じゅう道どうでは締しめ技わざで相あい手てを落おとすことがある。

  In judo, a chokehold can make an opponent pass out.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

end a story with a punch line; bring a story to its payoff

Used with 話 and similar words when finishing a joke, anecdote, rakugo-like story, or comic setup with an おち or punch line.

• 彼かれは最さい後ごにくだらないダジャレで話はなしを落おとした。

  He ended the story with a silly pun.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

end a period of fasting or abstinence

Traditional or fixed-expression use, as in 精進を落とす, meaning to end a period of fasting, abstinence, or ritual restraint.

• 法ほう要ようの後あと、親しん族ぞくで精しょう進じんを落おとした。

  After the memorial service, the relatives ended the period of abstinence with a meal.

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

win over; seduce; overcome someone's resistance

Colloquial use for getting someone to give in emotionally or socially, including romantic or sexual seduction. It can sound calculating or rough depending on context.

• 彼かれは甘あまい言こと葉ばで彼かの女じょを落おとそうとした。

  He tried to win her over with sweet words.

• 何なん度ども交こう渉しょうして、ようやく担たん当とう者しゃを落おとした。

  After repeated negotiations, we finally won over the person in charge.