Meaning

Primary

Good At

Alternatives

Skillful, Skilled At, Skilled

Word Type

noun, な adjective

Explanation

Think of someone holding out their hand. This is average. Things rated below the hand are things you're bad at. Things rated above the hand are things you're good at.

Reading

じょうず
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Both of these kanji use on'yomi readings, though uses an on'yomi reading you didn't learn with the kanji. It's a rare reading, so it wasn't included (and we just have to deal with exceptions like this as we go along). To remember the reading for this word, here's a mnemonic:

What are you good at? You're really good at taking Joe (じょう) to the zoo (). No one else can take Joe to the zoo—he gets mad and throws them into the animal enclosures. But you? Joe trusts you.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • はなし上手

    a good speaker

    やりくり上手

    good at budgeting

    コミュニケーション上手

    a good communicator

Context Sentences

ジェニーさん、スキーが上手ですね。

Jenny, you're good at skiing.

キアヌ・リーブスのモノマネが上手な人、いませんか?

Is there anyone here who can do a good Keanu Reeves impression?

「はじめまして。」「はじめまして。ニホンゴ上手ですね!」

"Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you. Your Japanese is good!"

Kanji Composition