JLPT N2
上に
In addition to / On top of
Structure
Plain form 上に
How it works
The grammar point '上に' (ue ni) is used to express that something additional is added to a state or action. It functions similarly to 'moreover' or 'in addition to' in English. It must express a consistent tone; both the preceding and following parts of the sentence must be either positive or negative.
Examples
彼女は仕事が速い上に、ミスもほとんどない。
In addition to being a fast worker, she makes almost no mistakes.
このアパートは狭い上に、家賃も高い。
This apartment is small, and on top of that, the rent is expensive.
今日は道が混んでいる上に、雨まで降ってきた。
Besides the roads being crowded today, it has even started raining.
Common mistakes
Do not mix positive and negative connotations; for example, saying 'He is kind (positive) and on top of that he is poor at math (negative)' is incorrect using this grammar.
Tip
Think of it as 'Plus' (+). For nouns, remember to use 'である' or 'の' before '上に', and for Na-adjectives, use 'な' or 'である'.
More JLPT N2 grammar
See 上に in real Japanese
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