下降
かこう · kakou · JLPT N2 · noun
descent
📉 下 (down) + 降 (descend) = 下降: two 'going down' characters combined
Both characters point downward: 下 means 'below' and 降 means 'to descend'. Use it for falling prices, temperatures, or a plane's descent.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
降 — 阜 (mound) 阝+ 夅 (descend, phonetic)
Originally depicted two feet (夅) walking down from a mound or hill (阜), showing the act of descending. The 阝on the left is the 'mound' radical, while 夅 carries both phonetic and semantic weight, suggesting downward movement. Pronounced jiàng for 'descend' and xiáng for 'surrender'.