上手

上手

Chinese

		up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	hand; convenient; ‑er
simp. and trad. (上手)		上	手

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shàngshǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄡˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): soeng⁶ sau²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): siang⁵ siu²

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): song-sú
• Min Nan (POJ): siōng-chhiú / siāng-chhiú

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Pinyin: shàngshǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄡˇ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanqshoou
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shàngshǒu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 上手 上首

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: soeng⁶ sau²
    • Yale: seuhng sáu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soeng⁶ sau²
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêng⁶ seo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœ̽ːŋ²² sɐu̯³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: siang⁵ siu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siaŋ³² siu⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: song-sú
    • Hakka Romanization System: song su`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: song⁴ su³
    • Sinological IPA: /soŋ⁵⁵ su³¹/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siōng-chhiú
    • Tâi-lô: siōng-tshiú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sioxngchiuo
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɕiɔŋ²²⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕiɔŋ⁴¹⁻²² t͡ɕʰiu⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɕiɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɕiɔŋ³³⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siāng-chhiú
    • Tâi-lô: siāng-tshiú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: siaxngchiuo
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕiaŋ²²⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/

Noun

上手

1. left-hand seat; seat of honor
2. predecessor; one's superior
3. player whose turn comes next
4. expert
5. (Cantonese) previous owner of real estate

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shàngshǒu

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄡˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): soeng⁵ sau²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): siang¹ siu²

• Min Nan (POJ): chiūⁿ-chhiú / chiōⁿ-chhiú / chiǔⁿ-chhiú

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Pinyin: shàngshǒu
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄕㄡˇ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanqshoou
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shàngshǒu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 上手 上首

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: soeng⁵ sau²
    • Yale: séuhng sáu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soeng⁵ sau²
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêng⁵ seo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœ̽ːŋ¹³ sɐu̯³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: siang¹ siu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siaŋ³³ siu⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiūⁿ-chhiú
    • Tâi-lô: tsiūnn-tshiú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cviuxchiuo
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡ɕiũ²²⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡ɕiũ³³⁻¹¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡ɕiũ³³⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiōⁿ-chhiú
    • Tâi-lô: tsiōnn-tshiú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: cvioixchiuo
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡ɕiɔ̃²²⁻²¹ t͡ɕʰiu⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiǔⁿ-chhiú
    • Tâi-lô: tsiǔnn-tshiú
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡ɕiũ²² t͡ɕʰiu⁵⁵⁴/

Verb

上手

1. to start, to begin
2. to get in one's hand; to get (fish, etc.) on the hook

Adverb

上手

1. (colloquial) at the outset

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
上	手
じょう Grade: 1	ず Grade: 1
on’yomi

/d͡ʑauzu/ → /d͡ʑɔːzu/ → /d͡ʑoːzu/

From Middle Chinese compound 上手 (dzyang^H syuw^X, “to have the upper hand → to gain mastery, to master something”, literally “top hand”).

This reading is likely a later innovation in Japanese after the initial borrowing. This uses the goon of jō for the first character, and the kan'yōon of zu for the second character.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) じょーず​ [jòózúꜜ] (Odaka – [3])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːzɨᵝ]

Adjective

上手 (-na inflection, hiragana じょうず, rōmaji jōzu, historical hiragana じやうず)

1. skillful, dexterous

Inflection

Inflection of 上手

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	上手だろ	じょうずだろ	jōzu daro
Continuative (連用形)	上手で	じょうずで	jōzu de
Terminal (終止形)	上手だ	じょうずだ	jōzu da
Attributive (連体形)	上手な	じょうずな	jōzu na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	上手なら	じょうずなら	jōzu nara
Imperative (命令形)	上手であれ	じょうずであれ	jōzu de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	上手ではない 上手じゃない	じょうずではない じょうずじゃない	jōzu de wa nai jōzu ja nai
Informal past	上手だった	じょうずだった	jōzu datta
Informal negative past	上手ではなかった 上手じゃなかった	じょうずではなかった じょうずじゃなかった	jōzu de wa nakatta jōzu ja nakatta
Formal	上手です	じょうずです	jōzu desu
Formal negative	上手ではありません 上手じゃありません	じょうずではありません じょうずじゃありません	jōzu de wa arimasen jōzu ja arimasen
Formal past	上手でした	じょうずでした	jōzu deshita
Formal negative past	上手ではありませんでした 上手じゃありませんでした	じょうずではありませんでした じょうずじゃありませんでした	jōzu de wa arimasen deshita jōzu ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	上手で	じょうずで	jōzu de
Conditional	上手なら（ば）	じょうずなら（ば）	jōzu nara (ba)
Provisional	上手だったら	じょうずだったら	jōzu dattara
Volitional	上手だろう	じょうずだろう	jōzu darō
Adverbial	上手に	じょうずに	jōzu ni
Degree	上手さ	じょうずさ	jōzusa

Antonyms

• 下 (へ)手 (た) (heta)

Noun

上手 (hiragana じょうず, rōmaji jōzu, historical hiragana じやうず)

1. (rare) skill, dexterity
2. flattery (from being told how skillful one is, even if one isn't)

   いつもお上手 (じょうず)をいわれて自惚 (うぬぼ)れた。

   Itsumo ojōzu o iwarete unuboreta.

   He was always told flattering things and got full of himself.

3. a person with the seventh dan in the games of shogi or go

Antonyms

• (skill, dexterity): 下 (へ)手 (た) (heta)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
上	手
じょう Grade: 1	しゅ Grade: 1
on’yomi

/d͡ʑauɕu/ → /d͡ʑɔːɕu/ → /d͡ʑoːɕu/

From Middle Chinese compound 上手 (dzyang^H syuw^X, “to have the upper hand → to gain mastery, to master something”, literally “top hand”).

This is the goon reading for both characters, so likely the reading as initially borrowed.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) じょーしゅ​ [jòóshúꜜ] (Odaka – [3])
  • IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːɕɨᵝ]

Adjective

上手 (-na inflection, hiragana じょうしゅ, rōmaji jōshu, historical hiragana じやうしゆ)

1. (obsolete) same as jōzu reading above

Usage notes

Obsolete. Replaced by the jōzu reading above.

Noun

上手 (hiragana じょうしゅ, rōmaji jōshu, historical hiragana じやうしゆ)

1. (obsolete) same as jōzu reading above

Usage notes

Obsolete. Replaced by the jōzu reading above.

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
上	手
じょう Grade: 1	て Grade: 1
jūbakoyomi

/d͡ʑaute/ → /d͡ʑɔːte/ → /d͡ʑoːte/

Variation on jōzu above, replacing the kan'yōon of zu with the kun'yomi of te.

Pronunciation

• Jūbakoyomi
  • (Tokyo) じょーて​ [jòótéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːte̞]

Noun

上手 (hiragana じょうて, rōmaji jōte, historical hiragana じやうて)

1. (rare) alternate for jōzu above
2. Short for 上手物 (jōtemono): an exquisite piece of workmanship

Antonyms

• (crude piece of workmanship): 下手物 (げてもの) (getemono)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
上	手
うわ Grade: 1	て Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Compound of 上 (uwa, “up, upper”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) うわて [ùwáté] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝɰᵝa̠te̞]

Adjective

上手 (-na inflection, hiragana うわて, rōmaji uwate)

1. superior, better
2. aggressive, bold, on the offensive

Synonyms

• (aggressive, bold, on the offensive): 高飛車 (たかびしゃ) (takabisha)

Antonyms

• (unaggressive, modest, on the defensive): 下手 (したて) (shitate)

Noun

上手 (hiragana うわて, rōmaji uwate)

1. (sumo) an overhand hold
2. (sumo) the upper hand in an overhand hold
3. upstream, the upstream portion of a river
4. upwind
5. a skilled player of games, such as go or shogi

Antonyms

• (downstream, downwind, stage right): 下手 (しもて) (shimote)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
上	手
かみ Grade: 1	て Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Compound of 上 (kami, “up, upper”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) かみて [kàmíté] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • (Tokyo) かみて​ [kàmítéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ka̠mʲite̞]

Noun

上手 (hiragana かみて, rōmaji kamite)

1. upstream, the upstream portion of a river
2. upwind
3. uphill, the upper portion of a hill or other geographic feature
4. the head of a table, the seat of honor
5. stage left: the left-hand side of a stage when looking from the stage towards the audience
6. the left-hand side of a drawstring on a fishing net

Antonyms

• (downstream, downwind, stage right): 下手 (しもて) (shimote)

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
上	手
Grade: 1	Grade: 1
Irregular

/kamute/ → /kaute/ → /kɔːte/ → /koːte/

Originally a compound of 上 (kamu, “up, upper”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
  • IPA^(key): [ko̞ːte̞]

Noun

上手 (hiragana こうて, rōmaji kōte, historical hiragana かうて)

1. (rare) the left-hand side of a drawstring on a fishing net

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN