天下り

Japanese

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

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””).

Alternative forms

• 天降り, 天降

Noun

天(あま)下(くだ)り • (amakudari) 

1. descent to earth from heaven
2. the entity making such a visit: an avatar
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

Synonyms

• (someone descended from heaven): 天(あま)降(くだり)人(びと) (amakudaribito), 天(てん)人(にん) (tennin), 天(あま)人(びと) (amabito), 天(あめ)人(ひと) (amehito)
• (avatar of a god): 化(け)身(しん) (keshin), 権(ごん)化(げ) (gonge)