下界|げかいgekai[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounthe earth below; the ground below
2. noun, Buddhismthis world (as opposed to heaven)

• Related現世げんせWrittenWritten/formal word for this life and the present world; frames the present as one of Buddhism's three worlds, a more religious view of time than 「下界」.
• Relatedうつし世うつしよWrittenWritten/formal with a classical flavor; stresses the present world we live in — the human world as inhabited, not viewed from above like 「下界」.
• Relatedこの世このよNeutralNeutral, everyday word for this world, stressing the world of the living; common in daily speech.
• Related俗界ぞっかいWrittenWritten/formal; the secular, mundane world of ordinary lay people, defined against those who leave home for religious life.
• Antonym天国てんごくNeutralNeutral: heaven or paradise, especially the Christian heaven; the blessed world above, opposed to the earthly 「下界」.
• Antonym上界じょうかいWrittenWritten/formal antonym: the upper world, the heavens — the realm above, set against the human world of 「下界」.

Use 「下界」 for the human world seen from the sky or a high place, as in 「山頂から下界を見下ろす」. For this life and the present world, say 「現世」 or 「この世」. The opposites are 「天国」 and 「上界」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （げかい）この世よ。人間界にんげんかい。
2. （げかい）高所こうしょからみた地上ちじょう。
3. （かかい、げかい）ある集合しゅうごうでそこに含ふくまれる数かずでどの数かずよりも大おおきくない数かず。