Meaning and Usage
"ダウン" is a loanword from English "down" and is commonly used in Japanese in several contexts. It can mean a device or system failure (like a computer going down), a person becoming physically unable to continue (due to illness or exhaustion), or being knocked down in sports.
Common Collocations
- ダウンする: to go down, to fail (used for machines or people)
- ダウンする（熱で、疲れて）: to be down due to fever or fatigue
- ダウンを取る: to knock someone down (in sports like boxing or wrestling)
Register and Nuance
This word is casual and often used in spoken Japanese and informal writing. It is not typically used in formal documents.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "ダウン" with the English "down" in spatial senses (like "down the street"). In Japanese, "ダウン" rarely refers to direction; it mostly refers to failure or collapse. For direction, words like "下" (した) or "降りる" (おりる) are used instead.