落ちる

• Reading: おちる
• Romaji: ochiru
• Kanji breakdown: 落 (raku/o) — fall, drop, descend
• Pronunciation: /o.tɕi.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To fall; to drop; to fail (an exam). Describes downward movement or decline.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. The transitive counterpart is 落とす (to drop something). Beyond physical falling, it extends to failing exams (試験に落ちる), battery dying (電池が落ちる), and stains coming out (汚れが落ちる).

Examples

1. 木から葉っぱが落ちています。 Leaves are falling from the tree.
2. 試験に落ちてとても悔しかったです。 I failed the exam and was really frustrated.
3. 財布がかばんから落ちましたよ。 Your wallet fell out of your bag.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, exams, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese おつ. The kanji 落 combines 艹 (grass radical) and 洛 (a settlement), originally depicting leaves dropping from plants.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal