上 (shàng): The Chinese Character for up / above
up / above
上 means “up / above” in Chinese. It is pronounced shàng. Listen to the sound above, then learn an everyday use below.
When you’re ready, mark this character as completed at the end of the lesson.
How to write 上
Stroke order
Expand to see the stroke order.
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One way to use 上.
上 (shàng) means up / above. In 楼上 (lóu shàng), it helps describe upstairs. This lesson uses the spatial sense: one floor above, not a claim about every use of 上. Example sentence: 小店在楼上。 Xiǎo diàn zài lóu shàng. — The little shop is upstairs.
Remember 上 Through a Story: The Staircase Beside the Window
1 min illustrated story · A fictional memory aid for 上
Alex had an address for a small repair shop and a watch that had stopped at breakfast. He found the building easily. Through the ground floor windows he could see a laundry, a grocery counter, and stacks of empty crates.
He walked around the corner, checking the number again. There was no repair shop at the back either. Returning to the front, he stepped aside to let a woman carry a parcel past him toward a narrow staircase.
Above the grocery window, an upstairs window stood open. A man was leaning over a workbench inside. Alex put the address away and followed the stairs, hearing the street grow quieter with every step.
The repairer looked up as Alex reached the landing. Alex laid his watch on the counter. From this window, the grocery crates looked small. He had found the right building before; the shop was simply one floor above him.
Can you recognize it?
Which character means up?
Make 上 part of your Hanzi.
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