～上(に) — On Top of That
Adds a second, similar-in-kind item to the first — 'not only ~ but also ~; in addition to; on top of that'. Both clauses must point in the same direction (both good or both bad); you cannot mix a positive and a negative. Used to pile on reasons or qualities.
Structure
[Verb・い-adj plain] + 上(に) / [な-adj] + な + 上(に) / [Noun] + の + 上(に)
Examples
この店は安い上に、料理もおいしい。
Kono mise wa yasui ue ni, ryouri mo oishii.
This restaurant is cheap, and on top of that the food is delicious too.
い-adj 安い + 上に stacks a second positive point (tasty) onto the first (cheap).
彼女は頭がいい上に、性格も優しい。
Kanojo wa atama ga ii ue ni, seikaku mo yasashii.
She is smart, and besides that, kind-hearted too.
いい + 上に adds a further favorable trait; both clauses are positive.
道に迷った上に、雨まで降ってきた。
Michi ni mayotta ue ni, ame made futte kita.
On top of getting lost, it even started to rain.
迷った + 上に piles on a second misfortune; both clauses are negative.
• Both clauses must share the same polarity (both good or both bad). • Often reinforced with も or まで in the second clause. • Register: neutral; common in speech and writing.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～上(に) is tested against.
vs し
し loosely lists reasons and can mix positive/negative freely; ～上に requires both items to have the same polarity and feels more emphatic ('on top of that').
vs だけでなく
だけでなく ('not only... but also') is neutral about polarity; ～上に specifically piles on same-direction items and often intensifies the point.
More connectives
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