上り

のぼり · nobori · JLPT N2 · noun

up-train

🚆 上 (up) + り (ride/going) = the up-train heading toward Tokyo; 'noboru' means climb, so it's the upward ascent

Trains to Tokyo run 'up' (上り) and trains away from it run 'down' (下り). The same kanji 上 also gives the 'climb' sense in のぼる, so one root covers both meanings.

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.

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