上 (shàng) · on

上 (shàng) means “on”. It is made of ⺊ + 一 and has 3 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

Break 上 into its parts

What 上 is made of

• ⺊ — structural part
  • 丨 — vertical stroke
• 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: One stroke on top of another; compare 下 (below) (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

上 stroke order

Example sentences

Words with 上

• 车上chēshàngon the bus
• 地上dìshangon the ground
• 关上guānshàngto close
• 楼上lóushàngupstairs
• 路上lùshangon the road
• 马上mǎshàngimmediately
• 上班shàngbānto go to work
• 上边shàngbianabove
• 上车shàngchēto get on a vehicle
• 上次shàngcìlast time
• 上课shàngkèto have class
• 上网shàngwǎngto go online
• 上午shàngwǔmorning
• 上学shàngxuéto go to school
• 身上shēnshangon the body
• 晚上wǎnshangevening
• 网上wǎngshàngonline
• 早上zǎoshangearly morning
• 上周shàngzhōulast week
• 天上tiānshàngin the sky
• 以上yǐshàngabove
• 基本上jīběnshangbasically
• 看上去kàn shangquto look
• 上来shàngláito come up
• 上面shàngmiànon top
• 上去shàngqùto go up
• 上升shàngshēngto rise
• 上衣shàngyījacket
• 实际上shíjìshàngin fact
• 事实上shìshíshàngin fact
• 穿上chuānshangto put on (clothes)
• 上个月shànggèyuèlast month
• 上楼shànglóuto go upstairs
• 上门shàngménto visit sb's home
• 台上táishàngon stage
• 上当shàngdàngto be fooled
• 不相上下bùxiāngshàngxiàabout the same
• 锦上添花jǐnshàngtiānhuāto make a good thing even better
• 上级shàngjísuperior
• 上进shàngjìnto make progress
• 上任shàngrènto take office
• 上瘾shàngyǐnto get hooked
• 上游shàngyóuupper reaches of a river
• 雪上加霜xuěshàngjiāshuāngone disaster after another
• 赶上gǎnshàngto catch, a bus, train
• 加上jiāshàngto add
• 线上xiànshàngonline

Also built with ⺊

• 卓zhuōprofound
• 占zhànto occupy

Quick facts

Questions about 上