after, upon, for the purpose of

Intermediate

20-25 min

common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Indicates sequence or purpose.

[Verb た form/Noun + の] + 上で

よく考えた上で、決めてください。

Yoku kangaeta ue de, kimete kudasai.

Please decide after thinking carefully.

日本語を学ぶ上で、漢字は重要だ。

Nihongo wo manabu ue de, kanji wa juuyou da.

For learning Japanese, kanji is important.

Two meanings - after or for purpose of.

～上に

in addition to, moreover, besides

～ために (tame ni)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~

～のに (noni)

although ~, despite ~, even though ~

～にもかかわらず

despite ~, in spite of ~

～ようになる

come to ~, become able to ~, reach the point where ~

Context determines sequence vs purpose.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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