～上(に)— On Top of That

• 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.

• ～一方(で) — On One Hand, On the Other
• ～くせに — And Yet You Dare
• だけでなく — Not Only That
• ついでに — While You're At It
• ～つつ(も) — While Yet Doing Otherwise
• ～というと／～といえば — Speaking Of That
• ～といっても — Even Though I Say
• ～とともに — Along With, As