下手

下手

1. player whose turn comes next
2. (colloquial) assistant; aide

   我需要有人在我旁邊幫我打下手。 [MSC, trad.]
   我需要有人在我旁边帮我打下手。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xūyào yǒu rén zài wǒ pángbiān bāng wǒ dǎxiàshǒu. [Pinyin]

   I need someone by my side to help me.

3. Alternative form of 下首 (xiàshǒu, “side of lower priority or less honour”).

• (player): 下家 (xiàjiā)

下手

1. to start doing something; to take action; to go about something

   我不知道如何下手。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Wǒ bù zhīdào rúhé xiàshǒu. [Pinyin]

   I don't know how to go about it.

2. to commit a crime

• (Cantonese) 落手

Probably a semantic shift from 端 (heta, “edge of something”), referring metaphorically to the edge of one's abilities or knowledge.[1]

The kanji spelling appears to be an instance of jukujikun (熟字訓).

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) へた​ [hètáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[2][3][4]
  • IPA^(key): [he̞ta̠]

下手 (-na inflection, hiragana へた, rōmaji heta)

1. unskilled, bad at, poor at, weak at, incompetent
2. superficial, halfhearted, half-assed, careless
3. smaller or lesser in degree

下手 (hiragana へた, rōmaji heta)

1. a mistake, a poor result, a screwup

   大 (だい)事 (じ)な所 (ところ)で下 (へ)手 (た)をやったな。

   Daiji na tokoro de heta o yatta na.

   Well, you really made a mistake right when it was important.

下手する (hiragana へたする, rōmaji heta suru)

1. to make a mistake, to screw up

• 上 (じょう)手 (ず) (jōzu)

Compound of 下 (shita, “down; under; lower”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).[1][2][5]

Occasionally encountered with rendaku (連濁), where the -te ending changes to -de.

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) したて [shìtáté] (Heiban – [0])[2][3][4]
  • IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ta̠te̞]

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) したで [shìtádé] (Heiban – [0])[2][3]
  • IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ta̠de̞]

下手 (-na inflection, hiragana したで, rōmaji shitade)

1. humble

The shitade reading is more common for the adjective sense.

下手 (hiragana したて, rōmaji shitate)

1. the lower part, especially downstream or downwind

   Synonym: 下手 (shimote) (see below)

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

2. someone at a disadvantage or lower relative to another person, in terms of rank or ability

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

3. (sumo) an underhand or lower hand hold, in which the wrestler's hand or arm is underneath or on the inside of the opponent's hand or arm

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

Compound of 下 (shimo, “lower”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).[1][2][5]

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) しもて [shìmóté] (Heiban – [0])[2][3][4]
  • (Tokyo) しもて​ [shìmótéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])[2][3][4]
  • IPA^(key): [ɕimo̞te̞]

下手 (hiragana しもて, rōmaji shimote)

1. downstream; the lower portion of a slope

   Antonym: 上手 (kamite)

2. (theater) downstage, specifically the left side of the stage as viewed from the audience

   Antonym: 上手 (kamite)

Compound of 下り (kudari, “descending”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 下る (kudaru, “to descend, to go down”)) +‎ 手 (te, “hand; side, direction”).[1]

• Kun’yomi
  • IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝda̠ɾʲite̞]

下手 (hiragana くだりて, rōmaji kudarite)

1. (uncommon) cheap, low-quality goods

   Synonym: 安物 (yasumono)

From Middle Chinese 下手 (MC ɦˠa^X|ɦˠa^H ɕɨu^X).

• On’yomi: Goon
  • IPA^(key): [ɡe̞ɕɨᵝ]

下手 (hiragana げしゅ, rōmaji geshu)

1. (uncommon) someone of low status or rank

下手する (hiragana げしゅする, rōmaji geshu suru)

1. (uncommon) to lower one's hand onto something, to set one's hand onto something