Chinese

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

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

Japanese

Etymology 1

/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) じょうず​ [jòózúꜜ] (Odaka - [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːzɯᵝ]

Adjective

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

1. skillful, dexterous

Inflection

Antonyms

• 下手 (へた) ‎(heta)

Noun

上手 ‎(hiragana じょうず, romaji 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): 下手 (へた) ‎(heta)

Etymology 2

/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) じょうしゅ​ [jòóshúꜜ] (Odaka - [3])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːɕɯᵝ]

Adjective

上手 ‎(-na inflection, hiragana じょうしゅ, romaji 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, romaji 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

/d͡ʑaute/ → /d͡ʑɔːte/ → /d͡ʑoːte/

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

Pronunciation

• Jūbakoyomi
• (Tokyo) じょうて​ [jòótéꜜ] (Odaka - [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ːte̞]

Noun

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

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

Antonyms

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

Etymology 4

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

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) うわて [ùwáté] (Heiban - [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɯᵝɰᵝa̠te̞]

Adjective

上手 ‎(-na inflection, hiragana うわて, romaji 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, romaji 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

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): [ka̠mite̞]

Noun

上手 ‎(hiragana かみて, romaji 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

/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, romaji kōte, historical hiragana かうて)

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

References

1. 1 2 3 4 5 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9