Meaning

Primary

Good At

Alternative

Skillful

Word Type

い adjective

Explanation

Remember how 上手 means that you're good at something? Well, this word uses the exact same kanji, and means the exact same thing!

Reading

うまい
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

That on the end is your clue that the reading is different, and you can forget about the readings you learned for each kanji. This is a native Japanese word, and the kanji were assigned to it based on the meaning alone. That means you just have to memorize the reading, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

When you see that someone's good at something, you say, "Ooh, my (うまい)!" at the top of your lungs. Try it! Think of something that impresses you and say "ooh my!" out loud.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • コミュニケーションが上手い

    good at communication

    コントロールが上手い

    good at controlling

    口が上手い

    to be a smooth talker

Context Sentences

パパはテニスが上手い。

Dad is good at tennis.

上手い人がチームに入った。

A skillful person joined the team.

この作文、なかなか上手いですね。

This composition is pretty well-written.

Kanji Composition