低 dī — to lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; low; to incline; beneath
今天的气温比昨天低。Jīn tiān de qì wēn bǐ zuó tiān dī.Today temperature is lower than yesterday.
Common words: 降低 (jiàng dī)、低于 (dī yú)、低温 (dī wēn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to lower"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to lower", including 低 (dī), 沉 (chén), 减 (jiǎn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to lower" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 低 (dī), 沉 (chén), 减 (jiǎn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dī, chén, jiǎn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 低 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 低 dīto lower (one's head); to let droop; to hang down; low; to incline; beneathUseful words: 降低, 低于
- 沉 chénsubmerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lowerUseful words: 沉默, 沉重
- 减 jiǎnto lower; to decrease; to reduce; to subtract; to diminishUseful words: 减少, 减肥
Common words for these 3 "to lower" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 低 (dī) — so "to lower" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
降低jiàng dīto reduce; to lower; to bring down低于dī yúto be lower than低温dī wēnlow temperature沉默chén mòtaciturn; uncommunicative; silent沉重chén zhòngheavy; hard; serious; critical沉思chén sīto contemplate; to ponder; contemplation; meditation减少jiǎn shǎoto lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower减肥jiǎn féito lose weight减轻jiǎn qīngto lighten; to ease; to alleviate
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to lower".
沉 chén — submerge; immerse; sink; deep; profound; to lower
石头一下子沉到了水底。Shí tou yí xià zi chén dào le shuǐ dǐ.The stone sank to the bottom of the water at once.
Common words: 沉默 (chén mò)、沉重 (chén zhòng)、沉思 (chén sī)
减 jiǎn — to lower; to decrease; to reduce; to subtract; to diminish
老师教我们做加法和减法。Lǎo shī jiāo wǒ men zuò jiā fǎ hé jiǎn fǎ.The teacher teaches us addition and subtraction.
Common words: 减少 (jiǎn shǎo)、减肥 (jiǎn féi)、减轻 (jiǎn qīng)
All 3 characters
Open 低、沉、减 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.