KanjiSchool KanjiSchool
KanjiGrade 1 › 上
Kyōiku Kanji

上 — above / up

Grade 1じょう, しょう, うえ, かみ, あ
Radical ⼀ · radical 1 The building block this kanji is filed under

上 (readings: じょう, しょう, うえ, かみ, あ; Japanese kanji) means “above / up”. It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 上手 (skillful).

Try it now

What does 上 mean?

Full details, readings & example
Kanji
Meaningabove / up
Readingsじょう, しょう, うえ, かみ, あ
GradeGrade 1 (Easiest)
CurriculumKyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example上手 (skillful)

How to read 上

上 is read じょう or しょう or うえ or かみ or depending on the word.

Words with 上

  • ほくじょうđi lên phía bắc
  • しじょうlịch sử
  • いじょうtrở lên
  • みあngước nhìn
  • じょうりくlên bờ
  • じょうずkhéo, giỏi
  • ちじょうmặt đất
  • じょうくうtrên cao
  • じょうげlên xuống
  • しあhoàn thành
Learn 上 in real sentences — free
Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.
Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-09
Learn 上 the way Japanese kids do Start free