上回る
うわまわる · uwamawaru · JLPT N1 · verb-godan
to exceed
上 (above, over) + 回る (go around, turn): go over a set mark, i.e. to exceed
Use it with numbers or expectations: 予想を上回る means to exceed what was expected. Its opposite is 下回る (to fall below).
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.
回 — enclosure 囗 + smaller 囗 inside
回 is a pictograph of a swirling whirlpool or coiled spiral, shown as nested squares in modern form. The original meaning was 'to revolve' or 'turn around,' which extended to 'return' and 'a time/occurrence.' It also appears as a phonetic in characters like 茴 and 廻.