天下り

Japanese

Kanji in this term
天	下
あま Grade: 1	くだ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
天降り 天降

Etymology

Compound of 天 (ama, “heaven, heavens”) +‎ 下り (kudari, “the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, stem or continuative form) of verb 下る kudaru, “to descend, to come down””).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あまくだり [àmákúdárí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [a̠ma̠kɯ̟da̠ɾʲi]

Noun

天(あま)下(くだ)り • (amakudari) 

1. descent to earth from heaven

   Synonyms: 天降人 (amakudaribito), 天人 (amabito), 天人 (amehito), 天人 (tennin)

2. the entity making such a visit: an avatar

   Synonyms: 化身 (keshin), 権化 (gonge)

3. in Japan's postwar period, the practice of awarding a high-level bureaucrat with a high-paying job after retirement (also spelled 天下り): a kind of revolving door syndrome