Japanese word

見下ろす

Pronunciation

Romajimiorosu

Meaning

  • verblook down at

Example

山の上から町を見下ろします。yama no ue ka ra machi o mi o ro shi ma su

I look down at the town from the top of the mountain.

Illustration for 見下ろす (look down at)

More examples

展望台から海を見下ろすと、船が小さく見えます。ten bō dai ka ra umi o mi o ro su to fune ga chii sa ku mi e ma su

When you look down at the sea from the observation deck, the boats look small.

Core concept

Describes directing one's gaze downward from a higher position toward something below.

Common phrases

  • 海を見下ろすumi o mi o ro su

    look down at the sea

  • 高い所から見下ろすtaka i tokoro ka ra mi o ro su

    look down from a high place

Similar words

見渡すmiwatasu: To look across a broad area and see its different parts.
眺めるnagameru: To look at a person, thing, or scene for a while with calm attention.

Definition in Japanese

高い所から下にあるものを見る。taka i tokoro ka ra shita ni a ru mo no o mi ru

Word origin

見下ろす (miorosu) is a native compound of 見る (miru, "see") and 下ろす (orosu, "lower"), giving the literal sense of directing one's sight downward.

Usage tips

  • 見下ろす (miorosu) corresponds to look down at when the subject views something below, while English overlook can also mean fail to notice something.

Other meanings

  • overlookverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word