Key Facts
- Word: 아래 (arae)
- Part of speech: noun (location word); origin: native Korean
- Meaning: below, under, down
- Register: neutral; as a place noun it takes 에 for location: 아래에
Below in Korean: Meaning and Register
아래 is a location noun meaning below, under or down. It is neutral, used in speech and writing, and it takes 에 to state a place: 아래에. As a prefix-like first element it also builds 아래층, the lower floor.
Pronunciation
RR arae, two syllables: a-rae. The ㄹ is a light tap between vowels. With 에 it becomes a-rae-e, written araee in the first example, a smooth run of vowels.
Example Sentences
고양이가 의자 아래에 있어요.
Goyangiga uija araee isseoyo.
The cat is under the chair.
고양이가 의자 아래에 있어요 locates the cat under the chair. The object is named first, then 아래에.
아래층에 식당이 있어요.
Araecheunge sikdangi isseoyo.
There is a restaurant downstairs.
아래층 is downstairs. The sentence gives the restaurant's location as the lower floor, with 에 at the end of the noun phrase.
산 아래에는 작은 마을이 있어요.
San araeeneun jageun maeuri isseoyo.
There is a small village below the mountain.
산 아래에는 adds the contrast marker 는 after 에, so the sentence stresses that below the mountain, specifically, there is a village.
Reading the Examples Together
The examples run from a chair to a floor to a mountain, so 아래 works at any scale, and 에 stays the same each time. In 아래층 the word becomes the front half of a compound noun, a floor label.
Collocations
| Korean | English |
|---|---|
| 아래층 | downstairs / lower floor |
| 아래로 내려가다 | to go down |
| 나무 아래 | under the tree |
아래층 is downstairs, 아래로 내려가다 is to go down with 로 marking direction, and 나무 아래 is under the tree. 나무 아래 puts the reference tree before 아래; 아래층 instead combines 아래 with 층, meaning floor.
Common Mistake
Learners treat 아래 and 밑 as identical in every context. In many sentences, such as under a chair, both are fine, but they are not always interchangeable.
Wrong: assuming 아래 and 밑 always describe exactly the same thing.
Correct: 밑 can name the bottom or the space directly beneath, as in 책상 밑. 아래 gives a lower position in general, as in 산 아래 (below the mountain) or 아래층 (downstairs). Both 책상 밑 and 책상 아래 can describe the space under a desk.
아래 vs 밑
| Word | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 아래 | below, under, down | This page's word: a lower position in general |
| 밑 | underneath | 밑 means the bottom or just underneath; 아래 is a broader lower position. |
| 위 | above | 위 is the opposite. |
밑 means underneath, the bottom or directly beneath, while 아래 is a broader lower position. 위 is the opposite, above.
Finding the Restroom on a Lower Floor
A visitor asks a staff member for directions. The answer first identifies the floor, then gives a route.
Visitor
화장실이 어디에 있어요?
Hwajangsiri eodie isseoyo?
Where is the restroom?
Staff member
아래층에 있어요.
Araecheunge isseoyo.
It is downstairs.
Visitor
이 계단으로 내려가면 돼요?
I gyedaneuro naeryeogamyeon dwaeyo?
Should I go down these stairs?
Staff member
네. 아래층에서 오른쪽으로 가세요.
Ne. Araecheungeseo oreunjjogeuro gaseyo.
Yes. Turn right on the floor below.
아래층에 gives the restroom's location. 아래층에서 marks the floor where the next action happens: going to the right. 계단 names the stairs, so 이 계단으로 asks about the route. The dialogue separates where the restroom is from how to reach it.
Does 아래층 Always Mean the Basement?
아래층 means a floor below the current one. If you are on the third floor, the second floor can be 아래층. 지하 means below ground or basement level. A restaurant described as 아래층 may therefore be on an ordinary above-ground floor. Check the floor number if you need a precise destination.
아래로 points downward. It can describe the direction of movement on stairs, on a screen or along a page. 아래층 adds 층, “floor”, and gives that downward position a building context. You need the added noun to know that someone is talking about storeys rather than the bottom of a picture.
Where Will You See 아래 in Written Instructions?
아래 사진 means “the photo below”, and 아래 내용 means “the content below”. Here 아래 comes before the thing that follows further down the page. These phrases appear in notices, worksheets and online instructions. Their position in the sentence differs from 책상 아래, where the desk is the reference object and the space under it comes second.
아래를 보세요 means “look below”. The object particle 를 attaches directly to 아래 because the thing being viewed is the lower area. It is a useful reminder that a location noun does not have to end in 에 in every sentence. The verb determines which particle fits.
나무 아래 literally means “under the tree”. It can describe a resting place in the shade without saying that anything touches the tree. Likewise, a village 산 아래 is lower down near a mountain's base. The phrase tells you the relative position; it does not give an exact height or distance.
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 층 | floor / storey | Makes 아래층 a word about a building. |
| 계단 | stairs | Names a route between floors. |
| 지하 | underground / basement | Specifies being below ground level. |
| 위층 | upper floor / upstairs | The counterpart to 아래층. |
See the directions and position lesson for 위, 아래 and other location words. Pairing the position with a landmark or a floor number makes a direction more precise.
Quick Self-Test
- From the third floor, can the second floor be 아래층?
- What does 아래 사진 refer to?
- Which phrase means movement downward: 아래에 or 아래로?
Show answers
- Yes. 아래층 does not automatically mean the basement.
- The photo below, such as one further down a page.
- 아래로. 아래에 gives a lower location.
FAQ
What Is the Difference between 아래 and 밑?
밑 is the bottom of something or the space directly underneath it, as in 책상 밑. 아래 is a broader lower position, as in 산 아래. For everyday objects such as a chair, either word is usually fine.
How Do I Say Downstairs?
Say 아래층, literally "lower floor". 아래층에 식당이 있어요 means there is a restaurant downstairs. The opposite floor, upstairs, is built the same way with 위.
What Is the Opposite of 아래?
The opposite is 위, above. The two pair neatly, and both take 에 for location: 의자 아래에 is under the chair, while the word for upstairs is built from 위.
Which Particle Shows the Place?
Use 에, giving 아래에, as in 의자 아래에 있어요. For movement downward, switch to 로: 아래로 내려가다 means to go down.
Keep Learning
- Theme list: Korean Directions Vocabulary, where 아래 sits alongside related words.
- Index: Korean words A to Z
- Practice: vocabulary flashcard decks include 아래.