ऊपर (oopar)
adverb/postposition/adjective
Mainly a spatial adverb/postposition meaning 'up, above, on top', with an extended sense meaning 'more, in addition' and a figurative sense about being above/beyond something (e.g. authority or comprehension).
Sense
1
:
physical location above or on top
adverb
Synonyms: उपर (upar, variant spelling)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: In everyday talk about houses, ऊपर (oopar) is how people say 'upstairs' -- ऊपर वाला कमरा (oopar vaalaa kamraa, 'the room upstairs') is common in describing multi-story family homes typical in Delhi-NCR.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often try to use ऊपर (oopar) alone where a postposition sense is needed -- compare ऊपर जाना (oopar jaanaa, 'to go up/upstairs') with मेज़ के ऊपर (mez ke oopar, 'on top of the table'), where के (ke) is required before ऊपर (oopar) to link it to a noun.
Sample Sentences:
तुम ऊपर वाले कमरे में सो जाओ, नीचे बहुत शोर है।
Go sleep in the room upstairs, it's very noisy down here.
(tum oopar vaale kamre men so jaao, niiche bahut shor hai।)
Listen: F85
बच्चे ऊपर सीढ़ियों से दौड़ते हुए आ रहे हैं।
The kids are coming running down from upstairs.
(bachche oopar siidhiyon se daudte hue aa rahe hain।)
Listen: F85
अगर तुम ऊपर जाते तो तुम्हें नज़ारा दिख जाता।
If you had gone up, you would have seen the view.
(agar tum oopar jaate to tumhen nazaaraa dikh jaataa।)
Listen: M85
हम कल ऊपर वाले फ्लैट में शिफ्ट हो जाएंगे।
We will shift to the flat upstairs tomorrow.
(ham kal oopar vaale phlait men shipht ho jaaenge।)
Listen: F85
क्या आप ऊपर आकर मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं?
Could you come upstairs and help me?
(kyaa aap oopar aakar merii madad kar sakte hain?)
Listen: M85
आसमान में बादल ऊपर तैर रहे थे।
The clouds were floating up in the sky.
(aasmaan men baadal oopar tair rahe the।)
Listen: M85
सामान ऊपर वाली अलमारी में रखा गया था।
The stuff was kept in the cupboard up top.
(saamaan oopar vaalii almaarii men rakhaa gayaa thaa।)
Listen: M85
दादी जी हमेशा ऊपर वाले कमरे में पूजा करती हैं।
Grandma always does her prayers in the room upstairs.
(daadii jii hameshaa oopar vaale kamre men poojaa kartii hain।)
Listen: F85
प्लीज़ इतना ऊपर मत चढ़ो, गिर जाओगे!
Please don't climb so high up, you'll fall!
(pliiz itnaa oopar mat chadho, gir jaaoge!)
Listen: F85
Sense
2
:
on top of, above (governing a noun via के)
postposition Used after a noun in the oblique with के (ke) as in मेज़ के ऊपर (mez ke oopar, 'on top of the table'), forming a compound postposition के ऊपर (ke oopar).
Synonyms: पर (par, broader meaning 'on')
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: Think of के ऊपर (ke oopar) as more specific than पर (par) -- पर (par) just means 'on', while के ऊपर (ke oopar) stresses being on top or above something, like किताब मेज़ के ऊपर है (kitaab mez ke oopar hai, 'the book is on top of the table').
Sample Sentences:
बिल्ली अलमारी के ऊपर बैठी है।
The cat is sitting on top of the cupboard.
(billii almaarii ke oopar baithii hai।)
Listen: M85
उसने फूलदान को पियानो के ऊपर रख दिया।
He put the vase on top of the piano.
(usne phooldaan ko piyaano ke oopar rakh diyaa।)
Listen: M85
पहाड़ के ऊपर बर्फ जमी हुई थी।
Snow had settled on top of the mountain.
(pahaad ke oopar barph jamii huii thii।)
Listen: F85
कृपया बक्से को शेल्फ़ के ऊपर मत रखिए।
Please don't put the box on top of the shelf.
(kripyaa bakse ko shelf ke oopar mat rakhie।)
Listen: M85
अगर बादल पहाड़ के ऊपर छा जाते, तो नज़ारा और सुंदर होता।
If the clouds had covered the top of the mountain, the view would have been even more beautiful.
(agar baadal pahaad ke oopar chhaa jaate, to nazaaraa aur sundar hotaa।)
Listen: M85
पतंग छत के ऊपर मँडरा रही है।
The kite is hovering above the roof.
(patang chhat ke oopar mandraa rahii hai।)
Listen: M85
बादल हमेशा उस बुर्ज के ऊपर छाए रहते हैं।
Clouds always hang over that tower.
(baadal hameshaa us burj ke oopar chhaae rahte hain।)
Listen: F85
शायद पानी की टंकी छत के ऊपर बनाई जाए।
Perhaps the water tank should be built on top of the roof.
(shaayad paanii kii tankii chhat ke oopar banaaii jaae।)
Listen: M85
सारी फाइलें अलमारी के ऊपर रखी गई थीं।
All the files had been kept on top of the cupboard.
(saarii phaailen almaarii ke oopar rakhii gaii thiin।)
Listen: F85
बच्चे झूले के ऊपर चढ़ने की कोशिश कर रहे थे।
The children were trying to climb on top of the swing set.
(bachche jhoole ke oopar chadhne kii koshish kar rahe the।)
Listen: F85
Sense
3
:
in addition, on top of that
adverb Often appears as ऊपर से (oopar se) to mean 'on top of that, in addition' when adding another fact, often a negative one.
Synonyms: इसके अलावा (iske alaavaa), साथ ही (saath hii)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You'll hear ऊपर से (oopar se) a lot in complaints -- it's the Hindi equivalent of piling on another grievance, much like English 'and to top it off.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes miss that ऊपर से (oopar se) in this sense has nothing to do with physical direction -- it is a connector meaning 'and what's more,' as in बारिश हो रही है, ऊपर से ठंड भी है (baarish ho rahii hai, oopar se thand bhii hai, 'it's raining, and on top of that it's cold too').
Sample Sentences:
उसने मेरा पैसा नहीं लौटाया, ऊपर से मुझे ही झूठा बता दिया।
He didn't return my money, and on top of that he called me a liar.
(usne meraa paisaa nahiin lautaayaa, oopar se mujhe hii jhoothaa bataa diyaa।)
Listen: F85
बारिश तो हो ही रही थी, ऊपर से बिजली भी चली गई।
It was already raining, and on top of that the power went out too.
(baarish to ho hii rahii thii, oopar se bijlii bhii chalii gaii।)
Listen: M85
यह काम मुश्किल तो है ही, ऊपर से समय भी बहुत कम है।
This work is difficult enough as it is, and besides, there's very little time.
(yah kaam mushkil to hai hii, oopar se samay bhii bahut kam hai।)
Listen: F85
दफ्तर दूर है, ऊपर से बस भी वक्त पर नहीं आती।
The office is far away, and on top of that the bus doesn't even come on time.
(daphtar door hai, oopar se bas bhii vakt par nahiin aatii।)
Listen: M85
अगर तनख्वाह कम होती, ऊपर से किराया भी बढ़ जाता, तो हम कैसे गुज़ारा करते?
If the salary were low, and on top of that the rent went up too, how would we have managed?
(agar tanakhvaah kam hotii, oopar se kiraayaa bhii badh jaataa, to ham kaise guzaaraa karte?)
Listen: M85
कृपया अपना पता लिखिए, और ऊपर से फोन नंबर भी दे दीजिए।
Please write your address, and in addition, give your phone number too.
(kripyaa apnaa pataa likhie, aur oopar se phon nambar bhii de diijie।)
Listen: F85
इम्तिहान की तैयारी अधूरी थी, ऊपर से तबीयत भी खराब हो गई थी।
The exam preparation was incomplete, and on top of that my health had also gotten bad.
(imtihaan kii taiyaarii adhoorii thii, oopar se tabiiyat bhii kharaab ho gaii thii।)
Listen: F85
शायद वह देर से आए, ऊपर से शायद खाली हाथ भी आए।
Perhaps he'll come late, and on top of that perhaps he'll come empty-handed too.
(shaayad vah der se aae, oopar se shaayad khaalii haath bhii aae।)
Listen: F85
सामान टूट गया, और ऊपर से दुकानदार ने पैसे भी वापस नहीं किए।
The goods broke, and on top of that the shopkeeper didn't even refund the money.
(saamaan toot gayaa, aur oopar se dukaandaar ne paise bhii vaapas nahiin kie।)
Listen: M85
इस योजना में देरी हो रही है, ऊपर से बजट में भी कटौती की जा रही है।
This project is already delayed, and on top of that the budget is being cut too.
(is yojnaa men derii ho rahii hai, oopar se bajat men bhii katautii kii jaa rahii hai।)
Listen: M85
Sense
4
:
superficial, external, surface-level (figurative)
adjective Used invariantly before a noun, as in ऊपर की बात (oopar kii baat, 'a surface-level remark') or ऊपरी तौर पर (ooprii taur par, 'superficially') -- note the related invariant adjective ऊपरी (ooprii) is more common in this figurative role than ऊपर (oopar) itself.
Synonyms: सतही (satahii)
Frequency: low
Cultural Note: This sense connects to the spatial meaning metaphorically: something 'on the surface' (ऊपर (oopar)) is not deep, so it comes to mean 'not genuine' -- ऊपरी दिखावा (ooprii dikhaavaa, 'superficial show') is a common phrase about insincerity.
Common Mistakes: 1) For the figurative 'superficial' sense, native speakers usually reach for the derived form ऊपरी (ooprii) rather than ऊपर (oopar) directly -- learners should recognize both but lean on ऊपरी (ooprii) for this meaning.
Sample Sentences:
उसकी मुस्कान सिर्फ़ ऊपरी थी, दिल से नहीं।
Her smile was only superficial, not from the heart.
(uskii muskaan sirf ooprii thii, dil se nahiin।)
Listen: F85
यह सिर्फ़ ऊपरी दिखावा है, असलियत कुछ और है।
This is just a superficial show; the reality is something else.
(yah sirf ooprii dikhaavaa hai, asliyat kuchh aur hai।)
Listen: M85
उसकी ऊपरी बातों में मत आना, वह अंदर से कुछ और सोचता है।
Don't be fooled by his superficial talk, he thinks something else on the inside.
(uskii ooprii baaton men mat aanaa, vah andar se kuchh aur sochtaa hai।)
Listen: M85
अगर तुम सिर्फ़ ऊपरी बातों पर भरोसा करोगे, तो धोखा खाओगे।
If you trust only superficial things, you'll be deceived.
(agar tum sirf ooprii baaton par bharosaa karoge, to dhokhaa khaaoge।)
Listen: M85
काश उसकी विनम्रता ऊपरी न होती, सच में होती।
I wish his politeness weren't superficial, that it were real.
(kaash uskii vinamrtaa ooprii n hotii, sach men hotii।)
Listen: F85
समाज में अक्सर ऊपरी शिष्टाचार को असली सम्मान समझ लिया जाता है।
In society, superficial etiquette is often mistaken for real respect.
(samaaj men aksar ooprii shishtaachaar ko aslii sammaan samajh liyaa jaataa hai।)
Listen: M85
उनकी दोस्ती में एक ऊपरी सी मिठास थी, गहराई नहीं।
Their friendship had a superficial sort of sweetness, no depth.
(unkii dostii men ek ooprii sii mithaas thii, gahraaii nahiin।)
Listen: F85
क्या यह चिंता सच्ची है या बस ऊपरी?
Is this concern genuine, or just superficial?
(kyaa yah chintaa sachchii hai yaa bas ooprii?)
Listen: M85
Morphology
Adjective (invariant)
invariant:
ऊपर
(oopar)