Japanese verbs of going up and down: differences between 上がる, 登る, 乗る, 降りる, 下がる and others

A complete guide to Japanese verbs that express going up, going down, raising, lowering, climbing, getting on a vehicle, and setting.

Category: Concepts & Distinctions

How do you say “to go up,” “to go down,” “to climb,” “to rise,” and “to set” in Japanese?

In Japanese, the concepts of “going up” and “going down” are not expressed with a single verb. Depending on the context, different verbs are used, such as 上がる（あがる）, 登る（のぼる）, 下がる（さがる）, 降りる（おりる）, and several others.

The choice depends on a variety of factors: the type of movement involved (upward or downward), the specific situation (climbing a mountain, going up the stairs, getting off a train, the sun rising or setting), and even the verb’s grammatical structure. Some verbs are intransitive (the subject moves on its own), while others are transitive (someone raises or lowers something).

Understanding the differences between these verbs is important because, in Japanese, choosing a different verb often means conceptualizing the movement itself in a different way. Getting onto something, climbing upward, rising to a higher level, appearing above the horizon, or setting are not all viewed as the same kind of movement.

The table below summarizes the main differences among these verbs.

In the following sections, we will present a comprehensive overview of the most common modern Japanese verbs meaning “to go up” and “to go down,” highlighting the distinctions between similar terms and providing numerous example sentences in Japanese with English translations.

Important note: As with the guide to Japanese verbs of division, it is not necessary to learn all of these verbs. This article is intended as a comprehensive reference for learners who find it difficult to navigate this maze of subtle verbal distinctions.

The table of contents on the left allows you to jump directly to the verb—or verbs—that interest you most. At the moment, the table of contents works well only on desktop. Full support for mobile devices will take a little longer.

Quick Overview: Expressing “Going Up” and “Going Down” in Japanese

Japanese has several different verbs meaning “to go up” and “to go down.” They are not simple synonyms: choosing the correct verb depends on the direction of movement, the path taken, the amount of effort involved, the end result, and even the kanji used to write it.

Many of these verbs form pairs of closely related words, sometimes even pronounced the same way, that express different types of ascent or descent. In a way, this can actually make spoken Japanese easier, since using the “wrong” kanji is not an issue when speaking.

After all, if you say のぼる (“to go up”), whether you have 登る or 上る in mind makes little practical difference in conversation, because both are pronounced exactly the same. The real distinction appears in writing.

Understanding the nuances and usage differences between these near-synonyms is therefore important.

The questions Japanese learners most commonly ask about verbs of ascent and descent include the following:

Are agaru and noboru written with the same kanji?

Not exactly.

Agaru is normally written 上がる, whereas noboru may be written 上る, 登る, or 昇る, depending on the type of upward movement being described.

上がる and 上る share the kanji 上, but they are different verbs. 登る uses a different kanji and typically refers to climbing with physical effort.

Do oriru, kudaru, and sagaru all mean “to go down”?

No.

• Oriru generally describes coming down from a place or higher position, or getting off a vehicle.

• Kudaru describes movement downward along a route, a flow, a slope, a river, or another continuous downward path.

• Sagaru typically describes something moving lower or backward, decreasing, or falling in level, value, position, or degree.

What is the difference between 下りる and 降りる?

Both can be read as oriru, but the kanji highlight different nuances.

• 下りる focuses on descending from a higher place.

• 降りる is commonly used for getting off a vehicle, stepping down, or leaving a position or role.

When studying verbs such as あがる, のぼる, さがる, and おりる, it is important not to stop at the English translations “to go up” and “to go down.”

In Japanese, these verbs do much more than simply describe physical direction. Instead, they highlight different aspects of the movement: the result, the path, a change in level, or the act of leaving a place or getting off a vehicle.

The first point to clarify is that あがる and のぼる can share the same kanji, 上, but they are not the same verb.

あがる is normally written 上がる, whereas のぼる may be written 上る, 登る, or 昇る, depending on the type of ascent being described.

Japanese dictionaries describe 上がる as a verb referring to movement from a lower position to a higher one, while listing 上る, 登る, and 昇る as the principal written forms of のぼる.

The key difference is that 上がる tends to view the ascent as a change of state or position.

Something that was higher is now lower; something that once had a certain value now has a lower one.

This is why 上がる is used not only for physical movement, but also for prices, temperature, voice pitch, performance, levels, tension, quality, and rank. When we say 値段が上がる, “the price goes up,” we are not imagining a path upward; we are simply saying that the price has reached a higher level.

のぼる, on the other hand, is more likely to focus on the movement itself—the route or the process of ascending. When someone climbs a staircase, a slope, or a mountain, のぼる describes the action of making one’s way upward.

Within のぼる, the choice of kanji introduces further nuances:

• 上る is the most general way of writing the verb when referring to moving upward along a route or path.

• 登る is appropriate when the idea is climbing with effort, as in climbing a mountain or a tree.

• 昇る is more naturally used for a vertical, elevated, or figurative ascent, such as the sun rising, something ascending into the sky, or a rise in rank.

Japanese reference works on kanji usage distinguish 上る, 登る, and 昇る in exactly this way.

The distinction becomes clearer in a sentence such as はしごを登って、屋根に上がる. The first part, はしごを登って, describes the process: climbing the ladder, physically making one’s way upward. The second part, 屋根に上がる, describes the result: reaching the roof and ending up in a higher position.

In this sense, のぼる focuses on the ascent as it unfolds, whereas あがる often focuses on the fact that a higher level has been reached.

A similar distinction appears in the opposite direction—that is, when moving from a higher place to a lower one. Here we encounter さがる and おりる, as well as くだる, which is the natural counterpart of のぼる in many contexts.

下がる is the closest counterpart to 上がる. It indicates that something moves to a lower position or falls in level, rank, or value.

Japanese dictionaries define it as the movement from a higher position to a lower one, or from a higher level to a lower level, explicitly presenting it as the opposite of 上がる.

This is why 下がる is commonly used when something decreases or drops: 気温が下がる, “the temperature falls”; 値段が下がる, “the price goes down”; 成績が下がる, “one’s grades decline”; 人気が下がる, “popularity declines.”

As with 上がる, the focus is not on the physical act of descending, but on the change in level. Something that was higher is now lower; something that once had a certain value now has a smaller one.

おりる, by contrast, more clearly describes the act of descending from a high place, a surface, a position, or a vehicle.

It may be written 下りる or 降りる.

In general, 下りる refers to movement from a higher place to a lower one, as in 階段を下りる, “to go down the stairs,” or 山を下りる, “to come down the mountain.”

降りる, on the other hand, is the standard spelling when the verb refers to getting off a vehicle, as in 電車を降りる, “to get off the train,” バスを降りる, “to get off the bus,” or when stepping down from a position or role, as in 役職を降りる.

Japanese explanations likewise distinguish 下りる as movement from high to low and 降りる as leaving a vehicle or stepping down from a role.

In this sense, さがる and おりる are not perfect equivalents.

• 下がる mainly describes lowering, declining, decreasing, or moving to a lower position.

• おりる, by contrast, most often describes a concrete action: someone goes down a staircase, comes down a mountain, steps off a stage, or gets off a bus or train.

If we say 値段が下がる, the price “goes down” in the sense that it decreases. We could not use おりる here, because a price is not literally coming down from somewhere.

Conversely, if we say バスを降りる, we are talking about the act of getting off the bus. 下がる would not express the same meaning.

Completing the picture is くだる, normally written 下る, which often functions as the counterpart of のぼる.

If 坂をのぼる means “to go up a slope,” then 坂をくだる means “to go down a slope.” Once again, the emphasis is on the route: traveling down a road, river, slope, or other downward course.

Japanese dictionaries define 下る precisely as movement from a higher point to a lower one, presenting it as the opposite of のぼる.

We can therefore say that the system works in pairs, though not in a perfectly symmetrical way.

On the one hand, 上がる and 下がる mainly express a change in level, position, rank, or value, with the emphasis on the resulting higher or lower state.

On the other hand, のぼる and くだる more naturally describe the route, direction, and process of movement.

Finally, おりる expresses descent in a more concrete sense: coming down from a place or surface, getting off a vehicle, or leaving a position one occupies.

This is why, although English often translates all of these simply as “to go up” or “to go down,” Japanese makes much finer distinctions.

• 階段を上る describes moving up the stairs.

• 二階に上がる describes reaching the second floor.

• 階段を下りる describes going down the stairs.

• 気温が下がる describes the temperature dropping.

• 山に登る emphasizes climbing or ascending a mountain.

• 山を下りる describes coming down the mountain.

• 坂を下る describes going down a slope.

The conclusion is that あがる, のぼる, さがる, and おりる should not be viewed as simple synonyms built around the kanji 上 and 下.

• 上がる and 下がる usually focus on the change in level or the end result.

• のぼる and くだる more naturally focus on the route and the direction of movement.

• おりる refers to the concrete act of coming down from a place or getting off a vehicle, and may be written either 下りる or 降りる depending on the context.

The real difference, then, is not merely orthographic but conceptual: each verb frames vertical movement in its own distinct way.

In this article, we will revisit all of these distinctions in detail, with examples of 上がる, 上る, 登る, 昇る, 下りる, 降りる, 下る, 下がる, and many other useful verbs.

Going up – 上がる (agaru), 上る (noboru), and 登る (noboru)

Both mean “to go up” or “to climb”, but they carry different nuances:

• 上がる (agaru) – intransitive: indicates simply going up or moving upward, often emphasizing reaching the destination.

  The focus is on the result or endpoint of the movement. It is used in general contexts: going upstairs (with the emphasis on reaching the upper floor), going up onto a stage, entering someone’s home, and so on.

• 登る (noboru) – intransitive: means “to climb” or “to ascend by climbing.” The focus is on the process of ascending, step by step, with physical effort.

  It is used for climbing a mountain, going up a steep flight of stairs or a slope, climbing a tree, and similar situations. In written Japanese, the kanji 登 is generally preferred for these kinds of effortful ascents.

In practice, the two verbs can often describe the same action, but with a different emphasis. For example, both 階段を上がる and 階段を登る can be translated as “to go upstairs” or “to climb the stairs.” The difference is subtle: 階段を上がる emphasizes reaching the upper floor, whereas 階段を登る emphasizes the physical act of climbing the steps.

In everyday Japanese, this distinction is not always strongly observed, and many speakers use the two kanji interchangeably in simple contexts. However, in certain situations the difference becomes much clearer.

For example:

• はしごを登って、屋根に上がる。 – “Hashigo wo nobotte, yane ni agaru.” – You climb the ladder and get onto the roof.

  In this sentence, 登って describes climbing the ladder (the gradual action), while 上がる indicates reaching the roof (the final result).

Likewise:

• 山道を登って、展望台に上がる。 – “Yamamichi wo nobotte, tenbōdai ni agaru.” – Climb the mountain trail and reach the observation deck.

These examples show how 登る and 上がる can naturally be used together: 登る for the “uphill climb” itself, and 上がる for the moment of arriving at the top. In less formal contexts, however, either verb alone is often enough to describe the action.

上る (noboru) vs 登る (noboru)

Both are read noboru. In general, 「上る」 written with the kanji 上 is the more general verb, widely used for “going upward” in both physical and figurative senses. 「登る」, by contrast, implies the idea of climbing with effort, such as ascending steep slopes or mountains.

For example, one could write either 坂を上る or 坂を登る (“to go up a hill”). The latter places greater emphasis on the physical effort involved in climbing a steep slope.

In modern Japanese writing, 登る is often preferred for mountains and steep stairways, whereas 上る tends to be used for gentler slopes or more general upward movement.

This is not a strict rule, but rather a common guideline.

The Verb 昇る

There is a third verb, のぼる (noboru), written with the kanji 昇る. It is used almost exclusively for celestial bodies (the sun and the moon) or in contexts involving an upward or rapid ascent.

For example:

太陽が昇る - (“the sun rises”).

昇る is not used for people climbing stairs or mountains, while 登る is not used for the sun.

To summarize:

• 「上る」 is the general verb;

• 「登る」 implies climbing gradually with physical effort (e.g. a mountain);

• 「昇る」 is used for the rapid or upward ascent of things such as the sun.

Going Down – 下りる (oriru) vs 降りる (oriru)

The verb oriru can be written with either 下りる or 降りる, and the distinction is important:

• 下りる (oriru) – literally “to go down (from a high place)” – is used for descending from an elevated place or making one’s way downhill.

  It belongs to the general category of moving from a higher place to a lower one in geographical or physical contexts: going downstairs, coming down a mountain, walking downhill, and so on.

  Examples:

  階段を下りる - (“to go downstairs”), 山を下りる - (“to come down a mountain”).

• 降りる (oriru) – written with the kanji meaning “to descend/fall” – is used when getting off a means of transportation or coming down from a specific raised surface or position.

  Examples:

  電車を降りる (“to get off a train”), 馬から降りる (“to get off a horse”), はしごから降りる (“to climb down a ladder”), ベッドから降りる (“to get out of bed”).

  In other words, it refers to getting down from something and placing one’s feet back on the ground.

In short, 下りる refers to descending along a route or from an elevated place, whereas 降りる refers to getting off a vehicle or coming down from something one was on.

In spoken Japanese, both verbs are pronounced identically, so the distinction is apparent only in writing or from the context.

For example, “to go downstairs” is normally 階段を下りる, whereas “to get off the bus” is バスを降りる.

The Verb 下る (kudaru)

This is another intransitive verb of descent. Its meaning is similar to 下りる, but it is used in slightly different contexts.

下る (kudaru) means to go downhill, to travel down a slope, or to move downstream along a river or other course.

For example:

坂を下る (“to go down a slope”), 川を下る (“to travel down a river”).

It is especially common in written descriptions and narrative prose. In everyday conversation, many speakers prefer 坂を下りる instead of 坂を下る, but 下る is by no means old-fashioned. For example, it is perfectly natural in sentences such as この道を下ると町に出ます (“If you follow this road downhill, you’ll reach the town.”).

In addition, 下り and 上り are used for railway lines: 下り列車 (くだりれっしゃ) refers to a train traveling away from the main urban center or terminus (for example, from Tokyo toward the outskirts), whereas 上り列車 refers to the opposite direction, following the Japanese railway convention.

The Verb 下がる (sagaru)

下がる is not an exact synonym for “to go down” in the contexts discussed above, but it can easily cause confusion.

It means “to move lower” or “to step back” and, depending on the context, can also mean “to drop” or “to decrease.” You would not use it to say “go downstairs” or “come down a mountain.”

Instead, it appears in sentences such as: 気温が下がる - (“the temperature drops”), 一歩下がる - (“to take a step back”), 成績が下がった (“one’s grades went down”).

Thus, 下がる expresses downward movement or a decrease in a general or figurative sense, rather than a controlled descent along a path or surface.

Its transitive counterpart is 下げる (to lower something).

To express “going down” in the sense of descending along a route, 下りる or 下る are preferred, as explained above.

Summarizing the Main Differences Between the Verbs of Descent

• 降りる is used for getting off a vehicle or other object;

• 下りる (or sometimes 下る) is used for going down stairs, a mountain, or a sloping road;

• 下がる means to move lower or decrease, while 下げる means to lower or reduce something; neither is used for descending along a route.

In the following sections, we will look at how these verbs are used in specific contexts, making it easier to understand their differences.

Common Usage Contexts with Examples

Below, we take a closer look at how the verbs introduced above are used in some common real-life situations.

For each context, we will provide Japanese example sentences with English translations, highlighting the appropriate verbs for “going up” and “going down.”

As throughout this article, we will focus on modern, everyday Japanese, avoiding expressions that are overly idiomatic or archaic.

1. Climbing and Descending a Mountain

• Climbing a mountain: the verb most commonly used is 登る (noboru). In Japanese, “to climb a mountain” is typically expressed as 山に登る (yama ni noboru).

  The kanji 登 itself conveys the idea of climbing.

  A less common alternative in everyday conversation is 山を登攀(とうはん)する (tōhan suru, to make an ascent) or 登山(とざん)する (tozan suru, to go mountain climbing), but these are technical or written expressions. 山に登る is the standard colloquial form.

• Coming down a mountain: the verbs used are 下りる (oriru) or, occasionally, 降りる (oriru).

  In writing, 下りる is generally preferred when referring to descending from a high place.

  Common expressions include 山を下りる (yama wo oriru, to come down a mountain) or 山から降りる (yama kara oriru, to come down from the mountain).

  There is also the suru verb 下山する (gezan suru), literally meaning “to descend a mountain,” which is commonly used in hiking and mountaineering to refer to returning to lower ground or to the foot of the mountain. In everyday conversation, however, 山を下りる / 降りる is more common.

• Scrambling up a mountain (in the sense of climbing a steep rock face using hands and feet): this can be expressed with よじ登る (yojinoboru) when the emphasis is on the physical effort of scrambling upward.

  For example, 崖をよじ登る means “to scramble up a cliff.”

  However, if you are simply talking about climbing a mountain—even a difficult one—登る is perfectly sufficient.

Here are a few examples related to mountains:

• 富士山に登ります。 (Fujisan ni noborimasu.) – I am climbing Mount Fuji.

• 彼らはゆっくりと山道を登っていった。 (Karera wa yukkuri to yamamichi wo nobotte itta.) – They slowly made their way up the mountain trail.

• 彼は険しい崖をよじ登った。 (Kare wa kewashii gake wo yojinobotta.) – He scrambled up a steep cliff.

• 山を下りるときは注意が必要です。 (Yama wo oriru toki wa chūi ga hitsuyō desu.) – You need to be careful when coming down a mountain.

• 私たちは午後までに無事に山から降りてきた。 (Watashitachi wa gogo made ni buji ni yama kara orite kita.) – We made it safely down the mountain by the afternoon.

Note: In informal usage, both 山を降りる and 山を下りる may occur in writing; in speech, of course, there is no audible distinction because they are pronounced identically. In formal writing, 山を下りる is generally preferred for geographical descent.

2. Going Up and Down a Slope or Hill

To describe going up or down a sloping road, a hill, or an incline, Japanese uses several different verbs.

• Going up a slope: depending on the context and nuance, you can use 登る / 上る (noboru) or 上がる (agaru).

  It is common to say 坂を登る or 坂道を上る (saka (michi) wo noboru) for “to go up a hill” or “to walk up a slope.” In everyday conversation, 坂を上がる (saka wo agaru) is also heard, especially when the emphasis is on reaching the top of the slope.

  Both forms are acceptable. 登る tends to emphasize the effort involved in climbing the incline, whereas 上がる is more general. The word 坂 (saka) can refer to a slope, an uphill stretch, or a downhill stretch, depending on the context, while 坂道 (sakamichi) specifically refers to a sloping road.

• Going down a slope: here, 下る (kudaru) or 下りる (oriru) is typically used. 坂を下る (saka o kudaru) is a straightforward way to say “to go down a hill” or “to walk downhill.”

  In everyday speech, 坂を下りる (saka wo oriru) is also commonly understood with the meaning of “walking down a slope.”

  There is also the noun 下り坂 (kudarizaka), meaning “downhill slope,” the opposite of 上り坂 (noborizaka, “uphill slope”). For example, 下り坂になる (“the road begins to slope downward”) or 下り坂をゆっくり降りる.

Here are some examples involving slopes and inclined roads:

• 自転車でこの坂を登るのは大変だ。 (Jitensha de kono saka wo noboru no wa taihen da.) – It’s hard to ride a bicycle up this hill.

• 坂道を上がっていくと古いお寺があります。 (Sakamichi wo agatte iku to furui otera ga arimasu.) – If you continue up this sloping road, you’ll come to an old temple.

• 車は坂道をゆっくり下って行った。 (Kuruma wa sakamichi wo yukkuri kudatte itta.) – The car slowly drove down the hill.

• 大きな荷物を持って坂道を下りた。 (Ōkii nimotsu wo motte sakamichi o orita.) – They walked down the slope carrying a large piece of luggage.

In the last example, notice how 下りた (the past form of oriru) is used to indicate that the person “walked down” the road.

One could also say 坂道を下って行った (“continued along the road while descending”) if the intention were to emphasize the continuous movement.

The same verbs are commonly used when talking about vehicles traveling on slopes.

For example:

峠道を車で下る (tōgemichi wo kuruma de kudaru, “to drive down a mountain pass road”).

As mentioned earlier, 上り坂 and 下り坂 are also everyday expressions: 上り坂でエンジンが唸(うな)る (“the engine strains on an uphill road”); 下り坂ではブレーキを控えめに (“use the brakes sparingly when driving downhill”), and so on.

3. Going Up and Down Stairs

Going upstairs: in Japanese, this can be expressed as 階段を上る / 登る (kaidan o noboru).

With stairs (階段, kaidan), both 上る and 登る are commonly used in writing, while in speech the two are naturally indistinguishable because they have the same pronunciation, often with little or no difference in meaning.

Some speakers also prefer 階段を上がる (kaidan wo agaru), which is just as common. This carries the nuance of reaching the upper floor.

In practice, 階段を上がる and 階段を登る are interchangeable in everyday conversation.

Going downstairs: this is expressed as 階段を下りる (kaidan wo oriru).

Here, 下る is rarely used, and 降りる is almost never written (although, in speech, it sounds exactly the same). Therefore, “to go downstairs” is normally 階段を下りる.

Even in formal Japanese, 階段を下りる remains the normal expression. 降下する is generally used for downward movement such as an aircraft descending or troops parachuting, not for walking down stairs.

Here are some examples involving stairs:

• 毎朝、駅で長い階段を上ります。 (Maiasa, eki de nagai kaidan wo noborimasu.) – Every morning, I walk up a long flight of stairs at the station.

• 彼は階段を急いで上がった。 (Kare wa kaidan wo isoide agatta.) – He hurried up the stairs.

• 子供たちは元気よく階段を駆け上がっていった。 (Kodomo-tachi wa genki yoku kaidan wo kakeagatte itta.) – The children ran up the stairs full of energy.

• 年配の方がゆっくり階段を下りています。 (Nempai no kata ga yukkuri kaidan wo orite imasu.) – An older person is slowly walking down the stairs.

• 急な階段を下りるときは気をつけて。 (Kyū na kaidan wo oriru toki wa ki wo tsukete.) – Be careful when walking down a steep flight of stairs.

In these examples, we see several different nuances. 駆け上がっていった (kakeagatte itta) combines 駆ける (to run) with 上がる to express “running up the stairs.”

Likewise, there is the compound 駆け下りる (kakeoriru), meaning “to run down.” Such compounds are common when describing how someone goes up or down (running, walking, crawling, and so on).

Another point worth noting is that, in Japanese, when talking about “going upstairs” or “going downstairs,” people often use 上がる and 下りる directly, without explicitly mentioning “the stairs.”

For example:

２階に上がる (ni-kai ni agaru) means “to go up to the second floor”; 地下に下りる (chika ni oriru) means “to go down to the basement.”

It is understood that the person gets there by using the stairs or an elevator.

By contrast, when 降りる is used with a floor number, it often suggests going down by elevator.

For example:

エレベーターで１階に降りる – (“to go down to the first floor by elevator”).

In everyday conversation, however, many people still say １階に下りる simply to mean “to go down to the first floor.”

4. Getting On and Off a Means of Transportation

In Japanese, getting on a vehicle is expressed with the verb 乗る (noru). It is intransitive and takes the particle に to indicate the vehicle being boarded.

For example:

• 電車に乗る – to get on a train (or take the train);

• バスに乗る – to get on a bus;

• 自転車に乗る – to ride a bicycle;

• 馬に乗る – to mount or ride a horse.

乗る is also widely used to mean “to take” a means of transportation (e.g. タクシーに乗る – “to take a taxi”).

Be careful with the particles: 乗る takes に (not を).

For example, バスを乗る is incorrect; it must be バスに乗る.

A useful way to remember this is: “to get onto something” → use the particle に.

To “get off” a vehicle, Japanese uses 降りる (oriru) together with the particle を (or sometimes から).

Examples:

• 電車を降りる – to get off the train;

• バスを降りる – to get off the bus;

• 車から降りる – to get out of the car (here から means “out of/from”).

In everyday speech, both を and から are commonly used with oriru.

を降りる is extremely common. Here, を does not mark a direct object in the ordinary transitive sense; with movement verbs, it can mark the place or vehicle being left behind. から降りる emphasizes the point of departure—coming out of the bus or car. Both forms are correct and widely used.

It is also useful to know the related transitive verbs, used when someone puts another person or object onto a vehicle or lets someone get off:

• 乗せる (noseru) – to put someone on / to give someone a ride. Example: 友達を車に乗せる – to give a friend a ride (literally, to put a friend into the car).

• 降ろす (orosu) – to let someone off a vehicle or unload something. Example: ここで降ろしてください – “Please let me off here.”

  Here, orosu is used when asking the driver to let you get out.

Here are some examples involving transportation:

• 朝は通勤客が電車に大勢乗ります。 (Asa wa tsūkin-kyaku ga densha ni ōzei norimasu.) – Every morning, large numbers of commuters get on the train.

• 彼女はバスに乗る前にICカードをタッチした。 (Kanojo wa basu ni noru mae ni IC kādo wo tacchi shita.) – Before getting on the bus, she tapped her IC card.

• 僕は毎日自転車に乗って学校に行きます。 (Boku wa mainichi jitensha ni notte gakkō ni ikimasu.) – I ride my bicycle to school every day.

• 次の駅で電車を降ります。 (Tsugi no eki de densha wo orimasu.) – I’ll get off the train at the next station.

• お年寄りがバスから降りるのを手伝った。 (Otoshi-yori ga basu kara oriru no wo tetsudatta.) – I helped an elderly person get off the bus.

• タクシーを降りた後、忘れ物に気づいた。 (Takushī wo orita ato, wasuremono ni kizuita.) – After getting out of the taxi, I realized I had left something behind.

• 車に友達を乗せて、海まで行った。 (Kuruma ni tomodachi wo nosete, umi made itta.) – I gave a friend a ride, and we drove to the coast.

• 「次の角で降ろしてください」とタクシーの運転手に頼んだ。 (“Tsugi no kado de oroshite kudasai” to takushī no untenshu ni tanonda.) – I asked the taxi driver, “Please let me off at the next corner.”

In these examples, notice the contrast between に乗ります and を降ります, as well as the use of 乗って (the -te form of 乗る) to express “riding or traveling by” a particular means of transportation, and 降りた後 (“after getting off”) in a temporal subordinate clause.

One final point: although 乗る and 降りる are used for getting on and off vehicles in general, Japanese also has more specialized verbs for boarding and disembarking in nautical and aviation contexts—for example, 乗船する (to board a ship), 下船する (to disembark from a ship), 搭乗する (to board an aircraft), and 降機する (to disembark from an aircraft).

These are formal or technical terms. In everyday situations, however, people simply say 船に乗る (to get on a ship) and 船を降りる (to get off a ship).

5. The Rising and Setting of the Sun and Moon

When talking about celestial bodies rising or setting in the sky, Japanese uses specific verbs:

• The sun (or the moon) rising: the most common verb is 昇る (noboru), usually written with the kanji meaning “to ascend.”

  For example, we say 太陽が昇る (Taiyō ga noboru) – “the sun rises.”

  The moon can likewise be said to “rise” with 月が昇る (tsuki ga noboru).

  Another colloquial way to say that the moon appears is 月が出る (tsuki ga deru, “the moon comes out”), but if we want to emphasize its upward movement above the horizon, 昇る is the appropriate choice.

  Typically, 登る (the kanji associated with climbing) is used only for people or physical objects, whereas 昇る is used for the sun, the moon, and other celestial or natural phenomena.

  For example:

  日の出 (hinode) means “sunrise” or “dawn,” but the action itself can be described with 日が昇る (“the sun rises”).

  Similarly, for the moon we have 月の出 (tsuki no de, “moonrise”) or 月が昇る.

• The sun or moon setting: Japanese does not use a verb derived from 下がる or 下りる. Instead, it uses 沈む (shizumu), which literally means “to sink.”

  Thus, we say 太陽が沈む (Taiyō ga shizumu) – “the sun sets” (literally, “the sun sinks”), and 月が沈む (tsuki ga shizumu) – “the moon sets.”

  A more technical synonym for the sun setting is 日が没する (hi ga bossuru), or the noun 日没 (nichibotsu, “sunset”), but 沈む is by far the most common verb in everyday speech.

Here are some examples involving the sun and the moon:

• 太陽は毎朝東の空から昇ります。 (Taiyō wa mai asa higashi no sora kara noborimasu.) – The sun rises in the eastern sky every morning.

• 夏になると、朝5時にはもう日が昇っている。 (Natsu ni naru to, asa go-ji ni wa mō hi ga nobotte iru.) – In summer, the sun has already risen by five o’clock in the morning.

• 今夜は満月がきれいに昇った。 (Kon’ya wa mangetsu ga kirei ni nobotta.) – Tonight, the full moon rose beautifully.

• 夕方6時頃に日が沈みます。 (Yūgata roku-ji goro ni hi ga shizumimasu.) – The sun sets at around six o’clock in the evening.

• 太陽が沈む前に家に帰りましょう。 (Taiyō ga shizumu mae ni ie ni kaerimashō.) – Let’s go home before the sun sets.

• 昨夜は月が遅く沈んだ。 (Sakuya wa tsuki ga osoku shizunda.) – Last night, the moon set late.

In these examples, 日が昇っている (hi ga nobotte iru) means “the sun has risen”, emphasizing that it is already up in the sky.

昇った and 沈んだ are the past forms (“rose” and “set”). It is worth noting that, whereas in English we say “the sun sets,” Japanese literally says “the sun sinks” (沈む).

Likewise, when referring to the moon, 沈む can be understood as “to disappear below the horizon.”

A few related expressions are worth mentioning: 日の出 (hinode, “sunrise”), 日の入り (hi no iri, “sunset,” literally “the sun’s entering [the darkness]”), and 日没 (nichibotsu). These are nouns; the verbs to remember are 昇る and 沈む when describing the action itself.

Final Summary

In modern, everyday Japanese, the ideas of “going up” and “going down” are expressed through a variety of highly specific verbs. To summarize the main points:

• Going up (general): 上がる (agaru, intr.) – to go up, emphasizing reaching a higher place; 上げる (ageru, trans.) – to raise or lift something.

• Climbing (physically): 登る / 上る (noboru, intr.) – to climb or ascend places such as mountains and stairs. 登る emphasizes effort and gradual ascent, while 上る is more general.

• Getting on a vehicle: 乗る (noru, intr.) – to board or ride a vehicle (train, bus, bicycle, etc.) (+ に); 乗せる (noseru, trans.) – to put someone or something onto a vehicle, or give someone a ride.

• Going down (general): 下りる / 降りる (oriru, intr.) – to go down. 下りる is used for descending from elevated places such as stairs or slopes, whereas 降りる is used for getting off vehicles or coming down from something one was on.

• Getting off a vehicle: 降りる (oriru, intr.) – to get off a vehicle (+ を / から); 降ろす / 下ろす (orosu, trans.) – to let someone off or unload something.

• Other verbs of descent: 下る (kudaru, intr.) – to descend or travel downward (e.g. a river or road); 下がる (sagaru, intr.) – to drop, decrease, or move back (not used for physically descending a route); 下げる (sageru, trans.) – to lower or reduce something.

• Sun and moon: 昇る (noboru, intr.) – to rise (appear above the horizon); 沈む (shizumu, intr.) – to set (sink below the horizon).

Conclusion

Through the many practical examples in this guide, we have seen how to use these verbs correctly across a wide range of contexts. It is important to pay close attention to both the particles involved (especially に with 乗る and を / から with 降りる) and the choice of kanji when writing, as they often convey subtle but meaningful differences (for example, 下りる vs. 降りる and 登る vs. 昇る).

In spoken Japanese, however, the context usually makes the intended meaning clear. Simply saying oriru in conversation rarely causes confusion: listeners will naturally understand whether you are getting off a bus or walking down a flight of stairs based on the surrounding context.

Essential References

https://hugkum.sho.jp/582833#:~:text=「あがる」は到達点に焦点があって、そこに達することを表すのに対して、「のぼる」は経過・過程・経路に焦点があるのです。

https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20221202-2478456/#:~:text=・この階段を上ってください%20・坂を上って右に曲がるとコンビニにたどり着きます

https://kotonoha-dictionary.com/go-down/#:~:text=「下りる」（おりる）は主に、地勢や位置について使われます。山を下る、階段を下る、坂を下るなどです。また、「下る（くだる）」という場合は、方向性を表す言葉としても%20使われ、例えば新幹線や電車の方向（上り線、下り線）についても使われます。ここでの「下る」は、主に東京を基準として東京から遠ざかる方向を指します。