上边，上面，上头 Difference?

[Kevinman]

上边，上面，上头 all mean the same thing. But in what situations should i use each of them in??

btw this is my first post, ty for help

[trien27]

All mean the same: only difference = characters used: 边[side]，面[face; surface]，& 头[head]

上边 = up above and on the side

上面 = on the surface

上头 could mean "higher up", like anyone whose position's above you or those whose position are way up in the company hierarchy.

[Shi Tong]

Hello!

You'll find quite a lot of the time you'll be given an object of which the item is on, rather than what face of a certain object something is on.

For example, people would probably say "it's on the bookshelf", "it's on the table" or "it's on the desk" etc, rather than "up above", "on the side", or "on the top" which is more specific- so-

zai4 zuo1 shang4 (on table top).

zai4 shu1jia4 (on shelf).

Specifics come later- where abouts it is (on TOP of the table, UNDER the table, ON THE THIRD shelf of the bookshelf etc).

边 means side generally, and 头 means head, 面 means face or surface, as trien said.

So what will usually happen in conversation is that someone will ask where something is, and they will be told it's on the table or on the shelf. If they're struggling to find it, they will be given a more descriptive answer, like:

上面, to mean it's ON THE TABLE TOP, instead of on the floor under the table etc.

Hope this helps too!!

[lacrimosa1983]

in oral chinese, the are similar,

but you need to pay attention about following

if a thing is on something that with a big surface, mostly use 面, for example

在桌子上面，在甲板上面

and 面 is more often used in writing

and tell you a neat trick, if you don't know how to use 上面、上边、上头，just say like this

在桌子上，在甲板上，在墙上，在山上，在地上，在天上，在树上........

but don't use this to people, you can't say 在你上，在我上，在他上，in this case you are supposed to say 在你上面or在你上头or在你上边，在我上面or在我上头ro在我上边........

[Mugi]

zai4 zuo1 shang4 (on table top).

Irrespective of how people actually pronounce 桌 in Taiwan, the pinyin should be zhuo1.

In standard Mandarin "on the table" is 在桌子上 = zai4 zhuo1zi shang, where no tone number indicates 輕聲/轻声 (neutral tone).

zai4 shu1jia4 (on shelf).

在書/书架上 → zai4 shu1jia4 shang

In case anyone is interested (probably not!), the 頭/头 suffix is a Wu (吳/吴 - Shanghainese, etc) innovation borrowed into Mandarin relatively recently (late Qing?).

[chrix]

In case anyone is interested (probably not!), the 頭/头 suffix is a Wu (吳/吴 - Shanghainese, etc) innovation borrowed into Mandarin relatively recently (late Qing?).

Interested, especially if you have a source for that.

[Mugi]

Interested, especially if you have a source for that.

I will do, somewhere. Might take me a while to locate it though...