下調べ
したしらべ · shitashirabe · JLPT N1 · noun
probe
🔍 下 (under) + 調べ (investigation) = groundwork checked before the main study
下 means under or below, and 調べ means examine or look into. Together they describe checking the ground first, before the main work begins.
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'.