上で|うえで

JLPT N3approx.Formal
Meaning
  1. 1After first doing X, and on the basis of it, do Y.Ex. 1
  2. 2After consulting with or considering something, as a formal step before acting.Ex. 2
  3. 3In doing X or for the purpose of X, usually with evaluations like 大切だ or 必要だ.
Formation
Vた形+上で
Nの+上でmainly する-nouns, e.g. 相談の上で, 確認の上で
V辞書形+上でsense 3: 'in doing X'
Shortened formNの上e.g. 相談の上、ご返事ください
Examples
契約書けいやくしょをよく読よんだ上うえで、署名しょめいしてください。
Please sign after reading the contract carefully.
ご家族かぞくと相談そうだんの上うえで、ご返事へんじをいただければと思おもいます。
I would appreciate your reply after you have discussed it with your family.
Usage

A fairly formal expression common in business, official instructions, contracts and polite requests. With the た-form or a noun, it stresses that the first action is a prerequisite for the second, unlike plain てから. With the dictionary form, it frames the context in which something matters.

Watch out

Do not use the dictionary form when you mean 'after doing X'; sense 1 requires the た-form or Nの.

Learners often use 上で for simple time sequence; use てから when the first action is not a basis for the second.

Note that 上で and 上に differ: 上に means 'in addition to', not 'after doing'.

Easily confused with
  • 上にN2上に adds information ('not only... but also...'), with both clauses evaluated in the same direction; it can attach to adjectives, and its sentence generally does not end with a request or the like. 上で instead means 'after doing... then...' or 'in the area of' and attaches to verbs or a noun + の, so the two cannot be swapped.
  • てからN5The two overlap in expressing 'first... then...'. てから attaches to the て-form, simply states sequence in a neutral register, and can also mean 'ever since...'; 上で attaches to the た-form or a noun + の, stresses the first action as a necessary prerequisite for the second, and sounds more formal.
  • 上はN2上は means 'now that... (it follows that)...,' with the second clause expressing obligation, determination, or advice — a different meaning from 上で's 'do after' or 'in the area of,' so the two cannot be swapped. With nouns it takes 「である上は」 rather than の, and its tone is more written/formal.
  • において / におけるN3において attaches only to nouns and marks place, time, or field in a more formal/written register; it has none of 上で's 'finish one thing, then do another' sense. It is close to 上で's 'in the area of' meaning, but 上で can attach to a verb in dictionary form ('when doing something'), while において cannot attach to verbs.
  • 末にN2末に likewise attaches to the た-form or a noun + の, but presents a result that finally emerges after twists and turns, often pairing with ついに; 上で stresses acting with the first item as a premise. Both 「検討した末に決めた」 and 「検討した上で決めた」 are correct — they simply differ in emphasis.
  • に際してN2に際して marks the moment of major occasions such as holding a meeting or graduating, does not attach to the た-form, and sounds more solemn. 上で, by contrast, either means 'after finishing the first action, do the second' or refers to the aspect involved in doing something, and it works for everyday matters, so the two generally cannot be swapped.

Unlike てから (simple sequence) and 末に (the outcome after a long process), 上で marks the first action as a deliberate basis for the next; 上に means 'on top of' and 上は means 'now that / since'. において marks a setting or field, and に際して means 'on the occasion of', neither implying a prerequisite step.

Grammar · JLPT grammar levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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