登る vs 上る
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
Both are read のぼる and both mean going up. 登る is climbing that takes effort, using your feet and hands — mountains, trees, ladders. 上る is the plainer "go up along something" — stairs, a slope, a river — and it is also the one used when the sun comes up.
When to use each
登る
のぼる
Use 登る when getting up there takes effort and your limbs: mountains, trees, ladders, cliffs. The place climbed usually takes に — 山に登る is the standard pattern.
夏に富士山に登りました。
なつにふじさんにのぼりました。
I climbed Mount Fuji in the summer.
猫が木に登っています。
ねこがきにのぼっています。
The cat is climbing the tree.
上る
のぼる
Use 上る for moving up along a path or surface with no sense of a climb: stairs, a hill, a road, a river. The route takes を — 階段を上る. It is also the verb for the sun coming up, 日が上る.
階段を上って二階へ行きます。
かいだんをのぼってにかいへいきます。
I'll go up the stairs to the second floor.
船が川を上っていきます。
ふねがかわをのぼっていきます。
The boat is going up the river.
Sentences where only one works
山に登るのが好きです。
やまにのぼるのがすきです。
I like climbing mountains.
Mountaineering is effortful, so 登る — the same kanji is fixed in the word 登山.
坂を上ると駅が見えます。
さかをのぼるとえきがみえます。
Go up the slope and you'll see the station.
Simply walking up a slope is 上る, and the route takes を.
東の空に日が上りました。
ひがしのそらにひがのぼりました。
The sun rose in the eastern sky.
For the sun the standard spellings are 上る and 昇る, never 登る.
はしごに登って屋根を直しました。
はしごにのぼってやねをなおしました。
I climbed the ladder and fixed the roof.
Hands and feet on the rungs, so 登る, even though a ladder is small.
Common mistakes
山を上ります。
山に登ります。
Mountains take 登る, and the usual particle is に. 山を登る exists when you mean travelling up the mountainside, but に登る is what learners should use.
日が登りました。
日が昇りました。
The sun does not climb. 昇る is the usual spelling for the sun and for rising smoke, and 上る is also accepted.
Reading 上る as あがる.
上る is のぼる; 上がる is あがる.
They share a kanji but are different verbs. 階段を上る is going up the stairs; 二階に上がる is ending up on the floor above.
Frequently asked questions
If I am not sure, which kanji should I write?
Write 上る for stairs, slopes and roads, and 登る only when someone is really climbing. Much writing simply uses kana のぼる, which is never wrong.
What is 昇る then?
昇る is rising straight up through the air, or rising in rank — the sun, smoke, a promotion. It is the third member of the set and never applies to a mountain.
Does 上る mean the same as 上がる?
No. 上る is のぼる and describes the going-up itself along a route; 上がる is あがる and focuses on having risen or arrived above. Compare 階段を上る with 二階に上がる.