上り坂・登り坂|のぼりざかnoborizaka[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
上り坂上り坂 is the most common written form and uses kanji and kana together. Beginners should use it in writing for this word.
登り坂登り坂 is less common than 上り坂 and also uses kanji and kana together. It is a recognizable alternative, but 上り坂 is the better choice for beginners.
Definitions
- nounascent; uphill; upward slope
- noun(gradual) upturn; increase
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym上りのぼりNeutralBroader term: going up or climbing, and also an upbound train heading toward the start of its route. 「上り坂」 is limited to uphill roads and rising momentum.
- Synonym上り勾配のぼりこうばいWrittenEngineering term for the upward grade of a road or railway; stresses the degree of incline rather than the slope as a path.
- Related登坂とうはんWrittenWritten, technical word for climbing a slope — by car, bicycle, or in mountaineering — as in 「登坂車線」. Not used figuratively, unlike 「上り坂」.
- Antonym下り坂くだりざかNeutralAntonym: a downhill road, or figuratively a decline, as in 「人生の下り坂」. The direct opposite of 「上り坂」.
Use 「上り坂」 for an uphill road or rising momentum, as in 「景気が上り坂」. For a vehicle or bicycle climbing a slope, use 「登坂」; in engineering contexts, 「上り勾配」. The antonym is 「下り坂」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
