noun
reading a text from start to finish
Only when written 読み下し
Refers to reading a text continuously from beginning to end, often used in contexts like reading aloud or reading through a document without stopping.
会議の前に、資料の読み下しをしておいてください。
Please read through the materials from start to finish before the meeting.
noun
transliterating classical Chinese into Japanese
A technical term in classical Chinese studies (kanbun) referring to the process of converting Chinese text into Japanese word order and adding kana to make it readable as Japanese.
漢文の授業では、白文を読み下しにする練習をします。
In classical Chinese class, we practice transliterating unannotated texts into Japanese.
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
Alternate kanji spelling using 訓み; less common and may be considered non-standard.
Compound of 読み (yomi, 'reading') + 下し (kudashi, 'sending down; lowering'), from the verb 読み下す (yomikudasu). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely originated in the context of kanbun (classical Chinese) studies.