Japanese word

上流

Pronunciation

Romajijōryū

川の上流には魚がたくさんいます。kawa no jō ryū ni wa sakana ga ta ku sa n i ma su

There are many fish in the upper reaches of the river.

ボートは上流へゆっくり進みます。bō to wa jō ryū e yu kku ri susu mi ma su

The boat moves slowly upstream.

上流 (jōryū) refers to the part of a river that lies closer to its source than to its mouth.

川上kawakami: The part of a river that lies toward its source when viewed along the river's course.

川の流れにおいて、河口から遠く、源流に近い部分。kawa no naga re ni o i te kawa guchi ka ra tō ku gen ryū ni chika i bu bun

上 (jō, "upper") + 流 (ryū, "flow") forms 上流 (jōryū, "upper reaches"), describing a river section toward its source.

English usually uses upstream for direction or movement, while upper reaches names a river area, making it a natural counterpart of 上流 (jōryū).