N2 · Expressions (N2)
うえで: after doing; when doing
after (as a basis); in doing
After a た-form: do this first, then the next thing on that basis. After a dictionary form: in the course of doing something.
上で after the た-form of a verb, or after a noun with の, means "after doing X, and on that basis": よく考えた上で決めます, "I will decide after thinking it over carefully"; 相談の上で, "after consultation". The first step is a precondition: it has to be done properly before the second can follow.
That is what separates it from てから. てから only puts two actions in order; た上で says the second rests on the first. "I watched television after dinner" is てから; "I signed after reading the contract" is た上で, because the reading is what gives the signature its meaning. Contracts, applications and instructions use it constantly.
After the dictionary form, 上で means something else: "in doing X", "for the purpose of X", and a word of importance or difficulty usually follows: 外国語を学ぶ上で大切なこと, "what matters in learning a foreign language". Before a noun it is 上での.
The two uses differ only in the verb form in front, so read that verb first. A た-form looks back at a step already taken; a dictionary form looks at an activity as a whole.
The form
| after doing (verb, た-form) | 考えた上で |
| after (noun with の) | 相談の上で |
| in doing (dictionary form) | 生活する上で |
| in doing, before a noun | 働く上での注意 |
| as far as … goes | 計算の上では |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
た上で: do the first step properly, then the second on that basis.
内容を確認した上で、サインしてください。Please sign after you have checked the contents.
A noun takes の上で: 相談の上で, 検討の上で.
家族と相談の上で、お返事します。I will give you my answer after talking it over with my family.
The dictionary form plus 上で: in doing something, for the purpose of it.
日本で生活する上で、日本語は欠かせない。Japanese is essential for living in Japan.
For a plain sequence with no dependence, use てから.
夕食を食べてから、散歩に出かけた。After dinner I went out for a walk.
A closer look
Why "on top of" means "on the basis of"
上 is "on top", and the picture explains both uses. In た上で the second action stands on top of the first, the way a building stands on its foundation: take the first away and the second has nothing to rest on.
In る上で and の上では, 上 is the surface on which an activity or a domain takes place — "in the matter of", "on the level of". 法律の上では is "as far as the law is concerned", and it often sets a formal view against what happens in practice.
How to spot it
- た上で
- の上で
- る上で
- 上での
- 上では
Example sentences
両親とよく話し合った上で、留学を決めた。I decided to study abroad after talking it through properly with my parents.
説明をよく読んだ上で、申し込んでください。Please read the explanation carefully before applying.
仕事をする上で、一番大切なのは信頼だ。The most important thing in working life is trust.
検討の上で、後日ご連絡いたします。We will consider it and get back to you at a later date.
子どもを育てる上での悩みは尽きない。The worries of bringing up children never end.
危険を承知した上で、彼は山に登った。He climbed the mountain fully aware of the danger.
7 more example sentences
医者と相談した上で、手術を受けることにした。After consulting the doctor, I decided to have the operation.
面接の上で、採用を決めます。We will decide whether to take you on after an interview.
外国語を学ぶ上で、発音は大事だ。Pronunciation matters when you learn a foreign language.
実際に見た上で、買うかどうか決めたい。I want to see it for myself before deciding whether to buy it.
車を運転する上での注意を守ってください。Please observe the precautions for driving.
全員の意見を聞いた上で、結論を出しましょう。Let us reach a conclusion after hearing everyone out.
計算の上では間に合うはずだ。On paper we ought to make it in time.
Worth knowing (1)
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のうえでは: on paper
の上では after a noun such as 計算, 法律 or 暦 limits a statement to that domain, usually to set it against reality: "on paper", "officially", "according to the calendar".
暦の上ではもう春だが、まだ寒い。According to the calendar it is already spring, but it is still cold.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
"After" in English is just order, and た上で is more than order: it says the second action depends on the first. Watching television does not depend on having eaten, so the sentence sounds as if dinner were a formal precondition for the television. A plain sequence is てから.
たうえで builds the second step on the first; てから only puts them in order.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.