Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 3
上 up, above
- Meaning
- up, above
- On reading
- ジョウ
- Kun reading
- うえ・あ(げる)
Memory hook
A line with a stroke standing above it: something sitting on top. ジョウ in compounds, うえ on its own, あ(げる) when it means to raise.
Words that use 上
上
うえ
above
上手
じょうず
skilled
How to write 上
Stroke order · 3 strokes
1
2
3
- 1. The vertical through the centre.
- 2. The horizontal across the middle.
- 3. The horizontal across the bottom.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
上 is taught on day 11 of the kanji course, alongside 下 大 小, with two writing passes and a short quiz.