Kanji Study

Bushu (Radical) Info:
一 (いち) – one
卜 (ぼくのと) – divining rod

Henshall Mnemonic: bar with handle, sticking up over baseline

Levels: JLPT N5 | JLPT 4 (old) | Grade 1
Frequency: #35 of the 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Common Words and/or Phrases Using this Kanji:

Click any individual kanji to view a similar information sheet for it.
Click [K] to look up the word's individual character(s) at WWWJDIC.
Click [D] to look up the word at WWWJDIC (definition is the same but other useful features exist).
Click [Jisho] to look up the word at Jisho.org.

JLPT N5 Words

• 上着   [うわぎ]
  (n) coat; tunic; jacket; outer garment   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上   [うえ]
  (adj-no,n-adv,n,n-suf) above; over; on top of; up; upper part; summit; surface; far better; higher; (in) authority; as far as .. is concerned; besides; after; emperor; sovereign; upon (examination); influence of (liquor); lord; shogun; superior; my dear (father)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上手   [じょうず]
  (adj-na,n) skill; skillful; dexterity   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N4 Words

• 差し上げる   [さしあげる]
  (v1) (pol) to give; to hold up; to lift up; to offer   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上がる   [あがる]
  (v5r) (1) to enter; to go up; to rise; to climb up; to advance; to appreciate; to be promoted; to improve; to call on; to be offered; to accrue; (2) to be finished; to go bankrupt; to be caught; to let up (rain); (3) to weaken (as a battery); (4) to get ruffled   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上げる   [あげる]
  (v1) to give; to raise; to elevate; to fly (kites); to praise; to increase; to advance; to promote; to vomit; to usher in; to admit; to send (to school); to offer; to present; to leave with; to finish; to arrange (expenses); to observe; to perform; to quote; to mention; to bear (a child); to improve (talents); to do up (the hair); to arrest; to engage; to fry; (rains) to stop   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 申し上げる   [もうしあげる]
  (v1) to say; to tell; to state   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 以上   [いじょう]
  (n-adv,n-t) more than; exceeding; greater than; this is all; over; above; and up; beyond; the above-mentioned; since; as long as; the end   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 屋上   [おくじょう]
  (n) rooftop   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 召し上がる   [めしあがる]
  (v5r) (pol) to eat   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N3 Words

• 上達   [じょうたつ]
  (n,vs) improvement; advance; progress   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上   [かみ]
  (n) top; head; upper part; upper stream; emperor; a superior; upper part of the body; the above   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上   [じょう]
  (n,pref,suf) (1) first volume; (2) superior quality; (3) governmental; imperial; top; best; high class; going up; presenting; showing; aboard a ship or vehicle; from the standpoint of; as a matter of (fact)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上等   [じょうとう]
  (adj-na,n) superiority; first-class; very good   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 年上   [としうえ]
  (n) older; senior   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 立ち上がる   [たちあがる]
  (v5r) to stand up   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上京   [じょうきょう]
  (n,vs) proceeding to the capital (Tokyo)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 取り上げる   [とりあげる]
  (v1) to take up; to pick up; to disqualify; to confiscate; to deprive   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 頂上   [ちょうじょう]
  (n) top; summit; peak   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N2 Words

• 上品   [じょうひん]
  (adj-na,n) elegant; refined; polished   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上り   [のぼり]
  (n) (1) ascent; climbing; (2) up-train (e.g. going to Tokyo)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上る   [のぼる]
  (v5r) (1) to rise; to ascend; to go up; to climb; (2) to go to (the capital); (3) to be promoted; (4) to add up to; (5) to advance (in price); (6) to sail up; (7) to come up (on the agenda)   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上下   [じょうげ]
  (n,vs) high and low; up and down; unloading and loading; praising and blaming   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上級   [じょうきゅう]
  (n) advanced level; high grade; senior   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 出来上がり   [できあがり]
  (n) finish; completion; ready; made for; cut out   [K] [D] [Jisho]

JLPT N1 Words

Other Popular Words Not Classified by JLPT

• 上体   [じょうたい]
  (n) upper part of the body   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 逆上せる   [のぼせる]
  (v1) to feel dizzy; to have blood rush to one's head; to become conceited   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 胴上げ   [どうあげ]
  (n,vs) lifting a person high; carry someone on shoulders   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 取上げる   [とりあげる]
  (v1) to take up; to pick up; to disqualify; to confiscate; to deprive   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 最上   [さいじょう]
  (adj-na,n) best   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上々   [じょうじょう]
  (adj-na,n) the best; great; superb   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 陸上   [りくじょう]
  (n) land; ground; shore   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 陸上競技   [りくじょうきょうぎ]
  track-and-field events   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上がったり   [あがったり]
  (n) poor business   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上田   [じょうでん]
  (n) high rice field; very fertile rice field   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 陸上自衛隊   [りくじょうじえいたい]
  Ground Self-Defense Forces   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 頭上   [ずじょう]
  (n) overhead; high in sky   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 海上   [かいじょう]
  (n) maritime   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 海上自衛隊   [かいじょうじえいたい]
  Maritime Self Defense Forces   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上げ   [あげ]
  (n,n-suf) rise in price; making a tuck   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 海上保安庁   [かいじょうほあんちょう]
  Maritime Safety Agency   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上半期   [かみはんき]
  (n) first half of a year   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 上半身   [じょうはんしん]
  (n) upper half of body; bust   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 売上金   [うりあげきん]
  (n) proceeds   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 売上高   [うりあげだか]
  (n) sales; amount sold; proceeds   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 紙上   [しじょう]
  (n) on paper; in the newspapers; in a letter   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 安上がり   [やすあがり]
  (adj-na,n) economy   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 切り上げ   [きりあげ]
  (n) end; conclusion   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 同上   [どうじょう]
  (n) same as above; ditto; ibid.   [K] [D] [Jisho]
• 誌上   [しじょう]
  (n) in a magazine   [K] [D] [Jisho]

Find more details for 上 at jisho.org, Yookoso! or WWWJDIC

Acknowledgments

The sofware used to generate this kanji information uses the EDICT and KANJIDIC files. These files are the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group at Monash University and are used in conformance with the Group's license.

NOTE: I converted the sources just mentioned years ago and have never really updated so there may be some missing or incorrect information that has been addressed in the original sources but not here.

The first Stroke Order image used on this page is courtesy of Ulrich Apel's excellent open source KanjiVG project. The second image is from the folks at the excellent Jisho Japanese-English dictionary site and it too is based on KanjiVG.

Classifying the kanji and popular vocabulary by the new JLPT levels was done by consulting Jonathan Waller‘s JLPT Resources page, renshuu, Wictionary, and Nihongo Ichiban.

The Henshall Mnemonics are the copyright of Tuttle Publishing and are the result of the hard work by Professor Henshall. See the list I used here.

If you are curious about the lexicography shown in the word definitions, visit the WWWJDIC abbreviations and codes guide and the JMdict/Edict Lexicographical details page.