字Study Chinese Characters
上

shàng above; up

3 strokes

上 (shàng) is a Chinese character meaning “above”. It is written from ⺊ and 一 (one), one above the other, and takes 3 strokes.

Build the character for “above; up”

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Structure

⺊ + 一

Top–bottom structure

  • ⺊ vertical mark above a short horizontal unknown
  • 一 one · yī unknown

Structure from: dictionary.txt decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry

Memory aid

The upper mark (⺊) stands above the baseline (一): think above or up.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

3 strokes

In real words

  • 上班shàng bānto go to work; to be at work上 = shàng
  • 上午shàng wǔmorning; before noon上 = shàng
  • 上升shàng shēngto rise; to go up; to ascend上 = shàng
  • 上台shàng táito go on stage上 = shàng
  • 上层shàng céngupper level; upper layer上 = shàng
  • 上当shàng dàngto be taken in; to fall for a trick上 = shàng
  • 上方shàng fāngabove; the space overhead上 = shàng
  • 上旬shàng xúnthe first ten days of a month上 = shàng
  • 上次shàng cìlast time; the previous occasion上 = shàng
  • 向上xiàng shàngupward; to strive to do better上 = shàng
  • 马上mǎ shàngimmediately; right away上 = shàng
  • 上尉shàng wèicaptain (military rank)上 = shàng
  • 上帝shàng dìGod上 = shàng
  • 上涨shàng zhǎngto rise; to go up (prices, water level)上 = shàng
  • 上课shàng kèto attend class; to go to class上 = shàng
  • 拴上shuān shàngto tie on; to fasten (a rope, a latch)上 = shàng
Go deeper

All readings

shàng main reading

above; up

above; up; to go up; on or onto

表示位置较高、向上移动，或到某处、在某物之上。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 上班shàng bānto go to work; to be at work上 = shàng
  • 上午shàng wǔmorning; before noon上 = shàng
  • 上升shàng shēngto rise; to go up; to ascend上 = shàng
  • 上台shàng táito go on stage上 = shàng
  • 上层shàng céngupper level; upper layer上 = shàng
  • 上当shàng dàngto be taken in; to fall for a trick上 = shàng
  • 上方shàng fāngabove; the space overhead上 = shàng
  • 上旬shàng xúnthe first ten days of a month上 = shàng
  • 上次shàng cìlast time; the previous occasion上 = shàng
  • 向上xiàng shàngupward; to strive to do better上 = shàng
  • 马上mǎ shàngimmediately; right away上 = shàng
  • 上尉shàng wèicaptain (military rank)上 = shàng
  • 上帝shàng dìGod上 = shàng
  • 上涨shàng zhǎngto rise; to go up (prices, water level)上 = shàng
  • 上课shàng kèto attend class; to go to class上 = shàng
  • 拴上shuān shàngto tie on; to fasten (a rope, a latch)上 = shàng

Other characters with these parts

⺊ → 卓卢贞桌

一 → 一七丁丈三万下与

Easy to confuse with

下止

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 上 mean?

上 (shàng) means above; up; to go up; on or onto.

How do you pronounce 上?

It is pronounced shàng.

What parts is 上 made of?

⺊ and 一 (one), one above the other. The recorded source is: dictionary.txt decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke geometry. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 上 have?

3. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 上?

一. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.

What words use 上?

Common ones are 上班 and 上午. The reading of 上 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.