下 (xià): The Chinese Character for down / below
down / below
下 means “down / below” in Chinese. It is pronounced xià. Listen to the sound above, then learn an everyday use below.
When you’re ready, mark this character as completed at the end of the lesson.
How to write 下
Stroke order
Expand to see the stroke order.
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One way to use 下.
下 (xià) means down / below. In 楼下 (lóu xià), it helps describe downstairs. This lesson uses the spatial sense: on a lower floor. Example sentence: 我在楼下。 Wǒ zài lóu xià. — I am downstairs.
Remember 下 Through a Story: The Book Below
1 min illustrated story · A fictional memory aid for 下
Alex wanted to finish a chapter before lunch, but his blue paperback was missing. He checked the table beside his bed, then lifted the cushions on the sofa. A receipt fell out. The book did not.
His phone rang while he was looking under a chair. Lin was downstairs, beside the courtyard bench where they had sat yesterday. She had come to collect her bicycle and noticed something blue beside the bench leg.
Alex went to the window. Below him, Lin held up the paperback. It must have slipped from his tote when he stood up yesterday. He took his keys and walked down the stairs to meet her.
Lin brushed a dry leaf from the cover before handing it over. Alex checked that the pages were dry, then sat at the bench to finish his chapter. Lin rode away, leaving him downstairs with the book he had searched for upstairs.
Can you recognize it?
Which character means down?
Make 下 part of your Hanzi.
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