下敷(したじ)き

したじき
noun
desk pad; being pinned underneath
tool
1. desk pad, writing board
A flat sheet placed under paper when writing to provide a smooth surface. Common in Japanese schools.
下敷(したじ)きを使(つか)う。
I use a desk pad.
字(じ)を書(か)くとき、下敷(したじ)きを敷(し)いてね。
Put a desk pad underneath when you write.
小学生(しょうがくせい)のころ、下敷(したじ)きで静電気(せいでんき)を起(お)こして遊(あそ)んだ。
When I was in elementary school, I used to play by generating static electricity with a desk pad.
2. being pinned underneath, being buried under
The state of being trapped or crushed under something heavy, such as a collapsed building or fallen object.
本(ほん)の下敷(したじ)きになった。
It got buried under books.
倒(たお)れた棚(たな)の下敷(したじ)きになった。
I was pinned under a fallen shelf.
地震(じしん)で建物(たてもの)が崩(くず)れ、多(おお)くの人(ひと)が瓦礫(がれき)の下敷(したじ)きになった。
The building collapsed in the earthquake, and many people were trapped under the rubble.

Usage

Sense 1 is the plastic or cardboard sheet Japanese schoolchildren put under their paper. Sense 2 is common in accident and disaster reports, always as 〜の下敷(したじ)きになる. A related use, 〜を下敷(したじ)きにする, means to use something as the model for a work: 古典(こてん)を下敷(したじ)きにした小説(しょうせつ), a novel based on a classic.

Common collocations

general
Added 2026.2.16 10:06 · Revised 2026.10.18 21:42
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