Japanese word

下り

Pronunciation

Romajikudari

Meaning

  • noundown train

Example

下りは何時に出ますか。kuda ri wa nan ji ni de ma su ka

What time does the down train leave?

Illustration for 下り (down train)

More examples

次の下りは東京駅を通過します。tsugi no kuda ri wa tō kyō eki o tsū ka shi ma su

The next down train will pass through Tokyo Station.

Core concept

It marks movement away from a central or higher reference point, so it labels a train traveling outward from the main city on a line.

Common phrases

  • 下り電車kuda ri den sha

    down train

  • 下り列車kuda ri res sha

    down train

Definition in Japanese

鉄道で、基準となる駅から遠ざかる方向へ向かう列車。tetsu dō de ki jun to na ru eki ka ra tō za ka ru hō kō e mu ka u res sha

Word origin

下り (kudari, "going down") comes from 下る (kudaru, "to go down") through the noun-forming use of the verb stem.

Usage tips

  • When asking about a 下り (kudari), speakers mean the train in the line's outward direction rather than a train that is physically moving downhill.

Opposites

Word lists with this word