下(くだ)り

くだり
noun
going down; down-train
movementtransportation
1. going down, descent
Movement in a downward direction.
坂(さか)の下(くだ)り
Going downhill.
下(くだ)りは楽(らく)だ。
Going down is easy.
My legs hurt on the way down the mountain.
The descent took longer than the climb.
The descent on this road is steep, so you should walk carefully.
2. down-train (away from Tokyo)
A train heading away from Tokyo or a major city.
下(くだ)りの電車(でんしゃ)
A down-train.
下(くだ)りに乗(の)る。
To take the down-train.
下(くだ)りは空(す)いている。
The down-train is not crowded.
There are few people on the morning down-train.
A bullet train heading from Tokyo to Osaka is a down-train, and the reverse is an up-train.
3. passage, section (of text)
A particular part or passage in a text.
この下(くだ)りが好(す)きだ。
I like this passage.
There is an interesting passage.
This passage of this novel is my favorite.
I cried reading that passage of his letter.
The teacher read aloud a passage from the book and explained it to us.

Usage

  • In Japanese rail, trains heading away from Tokyo (or the main city of a region) are 下(くだ)り, and trains heading toward it are 上(のぼ)り: 下(くだ)りの電車(でんしゃ), 下(くだ)り線(せん) (the down line).
  • Sense 3 is a section or passage of a book, letter, or speech, usually with この, あの or ある: この下(くだ)り (this passage).

Common patterns

Compounds

  • 下(くだ)り坂(ざか): downhill slope; figuratively, a decline

Writing

  • Sense 3 is often written in kana (くだり) or as 件(くだり).