The character 上 — “top”: how to write it and what it means
top, on
The Chinese character 上 is read shàng and means “top, on”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 上
上 has 3 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 上, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 上 is made of
A stroke above a line.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 上
- 早上morningHSK 1
- 上午morning (before noon)HSK 1
- 晚上eveningHSK 1
- 上学go to schoolHSK 1
- 上课attend classHSK 1
- 上班go to workHSK 1
- 路上on the wayHSK 2
- 上面on top, aboveHSK 2
- 上来come upHSK 2
- 上去go upHSK 2
- 上网go onlineHSK 2
- 网上onlineHSK 2
- 上衣jacket, topHSK 3
- 以上above, more thanHSK 3
- 马上right awayHSK 3
- 赶上catch up, make it in timeHSK 4
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 上?
上 has 3 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 上 mean?
上 means “top, on”. It appears in 早上 (“morning”), 上午 (“morning”), 晚上 (“evening”), 上学 (“go to school”).
How do you pronounce 上?
上 is read shàng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 上 have?
3 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 上 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free