上午

• Pinyin: shàng wǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 上 = upper/first half; 午 = originally a pictograph of a pestle, later borrowed for 'noon'

Meaning

Morning; forenoon; AM. The period from dawn until noon.

Refers specifically to the morning hours before noon, roughly from sunrise to 12:00. Used as a time word before verbs. Part of the daily time sequence: 早上 (early morning) → 上午 (morning/AM) → 中午 (noon) → 下午 (afternoon/PM) → 晚上 (evening). More formal than 早上.

Examples

1. 上午我在学校上课。 I have class at school in the morning.
2. 他上午去了医院。 He went to the hospital this morning.
3. 请你上午来。 Please come in the morning.

Usage Guide

Context: time, daily routine

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 上午九点我有课。(I have class at 9 AM.)
• 明天上午你有空吗？(Are you free tomorrow morning?)

Don't Say

• 在上午的八点。(Unnecessarily formal — say 上午八点 directly, dropping 在 and 的)

Origin & History

A compound of 上 (first half/upper) and 午 (noon), literally 'before noon' — the upper half of the day.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal