What does 上 mean in Chinese?

上 (shàng) means "up" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 上?

上 is written with 3 strokes, starting from the 一 (one) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 上?

The radical of 上 is 一 (one, Kangxi radical #1). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 不, 一, 东, 下.

How many strokes does 上 have?

The Chinese character 上 has 3 strokes.

What HSK level is 上?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 上 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

上 (shàng): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

上

shàng

HSK 1 character 3 strokes Radical: 一 (one)

Quick Answer

上 (shàng) means "up" with 3 strokes, radical 一 (one), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 上 →Animated stroke-order for 上 →

Pronunciation

shàng

Meaning

Primary: up

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

An indicative character showing position. Early oracle bone forms consist of a long horizontal baseline with a shorter mark above it, indicating 'above' or 'upper' relative to that reference line. It is paired with 下 (a long horizontal with a mark below) as one of the textbook examples of 指事 characters in Xu Shen's Shuowen Jiezi.

Form evolution

The shorter upper mark gradually became a short horizontal, and a vertical stroke was added connecting the upper mark to the baseline to give the form more visual stability and prevent confusion with 二 (two). By seal script the modern arrangement of vertical plus short horizontal sitting on the baseline was fixed, and clerical script squared it into the three-stroke shape used today.

How the meaning evolved

From the basic spatial sense of 'above' or 'on top of', 上 extended in many directions: 'previous' (上次 last time), 'superior in rank' (上司 boss), 'to ascend' or 'go to' (上班 go to work, 上学 go to school), and as a verb meaning 'to put on' or 'to apply' (上色 apply colour). It is also a tone-name for the third tone (上声) in Mandarin phonology.

Cultural note

The 上下 pair is one of the oldest semantic oppositions in the language and is used in idioms such as 上行下效 (those above act, those below imitate). Learners should note the verbal use 上 + place is extremely productive in modern Chinese and rarely translated literally as 'go up'.

Mnemonic

A line above the base — up

Basic info

Pinyin	shàng
Meanings	up
Stroke count	3 strokes
Radical	一 (#1: one)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#228 most common

Example sentences

请上楼。
Qǐng shàng lóu.
Please go upstairs.
From 上 (HSK 1)
我八点上班。
Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān.
I start work at eight.
From 上班 (HSK 1)
早上我喝咖啡。
Zǎoshang wǒ hē kāfēi.
In the morning I drink coffee.
From 早上 (HSK 1)

Words containing 上

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
上	shàng	up	HSK 1
上午	shàngwǔ	morning	HSK 1
上班	shàngbān	to go to work	HSK 1
早上	zǎoshang	morning	HSK 1
晚上	wǎnshang	evening	HSK 1
上网	shàngwǎng	Surf the Internet	HSK 2
马上	mǎshàng	Right off	HSK 3
上当	shàngdàng	When	HSK 6
不相上下	bùxiāngshàngxià	equally matched	HSK 7-9