上等
じょうとう · joutou · JLPT N3 · na-adj
first class
🥇 上等 = upper (上) + grade (等): top grade, first class
上 means up or upper, 等 means grade or rank. The upper rank of anything is the first-class one, so 上等 describes superior quality. Same pattern as 中等 (middle grade) and 下等 (low grade).
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.
等 — bamboo radical 竹 + temple 寺
Originally referred to bamboo slips of equal length used for record-keeping, with 竹 (bamboo) as the semantic component and 寺 suggesting the phonetic. From 'equal-length slips' the meaning extended to 'rank, class,' then 'equal,' and later to 'wait' (to be of equal status in line).