The character 下 — “below”: how to write it and what it means
below, under
The Chinese character 下 is read xià and means “below, under”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 下
下 has 3 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 下, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 下 is made of
A stroke under a line.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 下
- 一下once, for a momentHSK 1
- 下午afternoonHSK 1
- 下雨rain (it's raining)HSK 1
- 下课finish classHSK 1
- 下班get off workHSK 1
- 下面below, underHSK 2
- 下来come downHSK 2
- 下去go downHSK 2
- 以下below, less thanHSK 3
- 留下leave behind; stayHSK 4
- 下降fall, declineHSK 4
- 底下under, belowHSK 4
- 零下below zeroHSK 4
- 线下offlineHSK 4
- 下载downloadHSK 5
- 如下as followsHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 下?
下 has 3 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 下 mean?
下 means “below, under”. It appears in 一下 (“once”), 下午 (“afternoon”), 下雨 (“rain”), 下课 (“finish class”).
How do you pronounce 下?
下 is read xià. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 下 have?
3 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 下 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free