下級(かきゅう)

かきゅう
noun / no-adjective
lower grade, lower rank
1. lower grade, lower rank, junior level
A lower position in a hierarchy of rank, grade, or class. Used for courts, military, school grades, or organizational levels.
下級(かきゅう)裁判所(さいばんしょ)の判決(はんけつ)だ。
It's a lower court ruling.
下級(かきゅう)生(せい)は先輩(せんぱい)に敬語(けいご)を使(つか)う。
Junior students use polite language with their seniors.
下級(かきゅう)武士(ぶし)の身分(みぶん)から出世(しゅっせ)して藩(はん)の重臣(じゅうしん)になった。
He rose from the status of a low-ranking samurai to become an important retainer of the domain.

下級(かきゅう) describes something at the lower end of a ranked hierarchy. It functions as a noun on its own or as a no-adjective modifying another noun.

WORD FORMATION:
下(か) (lower) + 級(きゅう) (grade, rank)

LEVEL SERIES:

  • 上級(じょうきゅう): upper grade, advanced
  • 中級(ちゅうきゅう): intermediate
  • 下級(かきゅう): lower grade, junior

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 下級(かきゅう)裁判所(さいばんしょ): lower court
  • 下級(かきゅう)生(せい): junior student
  • 下級(かきゅう)武士(ぶし): low-ranking samurai
  • 下級(かきゅう)官吏(かんり): lower-ranking official

USAGE:
Most commonly appears in legal (下級(かきゅう)裁判所(さいばんしょ)), educational, and historical contexts. In modern everyday speech, 下(した)の学年(がくねん) or 後輩(こうはい) is more natural than 下級(かきゅう)生(せい).

Related Words

Antonym: 上級(じょうきゅう)
general
Added 2026.2.16 10:06 · Revised 2026.3.30 15:07
11000/11370_kakyuu