上午
shàng wǔ · HSK 1
morning
🌅 上午 = above/up + noon = before noon = morning
上 means above or before, 午 means noon. Together they mean the time before noon, i.e. morning. Contrast with 下午 (below + noon = afternoon).
上 — horizontal line above a baseline
上 is an indicative character (指事): a short stroke placed above a longer reference line shows the concept of 'above' or 'up'. The earliest oracle-bone forms used two horizontal lines for this; the modern shape added a vertical stroke for clarity. The core meaning of 'upper, above, to ascend' has stayed stable for millennia.