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I saw a sentence that goes like this : 利用上の注意

In Chinese, we have similar constructions were a noun is followed by a postposition (although the exact syntactic category is debated), followed by a subordinator, followed by a noun : 爐子裡的煤球很多 lúzǐ lǐ de méiqiú hěnduō : stove inside SUB briquette very numerous : 'Briquettes in the stove are numerous.'

  • What is the exact translation of the Japanese sentence?

  • Is this construction frequent in Japanese?

  • How this 上 in the sentence is analyzed in Japanese grammar? Is it a postposition? Or does it form a whole with 利用?

Starckman
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What is the exact translation of the Japanese sentence?

Common translations are "Usage Note", "Caution", etc. A very literal translation would be "Attention on Using".

Is this construction frequent in Japanese?

Yes, it's common, especially in formal sentences. Note that the physical meaning of "on top of" or "above" has been more or less lost.

How this 上 in the sentence is analyzed in Japanese grammar? Is it a postposition? Or does it form a whole with 利用?

It's a postposition (aka suffix) because it can directly follow many nouns. It's used in various ways as shown above.

naruto
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  • As a quick note, the English words _"on"_ or _"upon"_ can be used in ways that match this usage of 上. For the sample phrase 「利用上【りようじょう】の注意【ちゅうい】」, the 上 would probably be translated as _"when"_, as in _"Cautions **when** Using"_, I do see that _"Cautions **on** Using"_ garners [not a few Google hits](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22cautions+on+using%22). – Eiríkr Útlendi Apr 04 '22 at 23:15
  • Thank you Naruto and Eiríkr Útlendi for your help! Just to be sure, here 利用 is a noun, right? Are certain any similar sentences where the element is this position is clearly a noun? – Starckman Apr 05 '22 at 00:40
  • @starckman I think the pages I linked above have many examples. For example 法律上の means "legal". – naruto Apr 05 '22 at 01:04
  • Oh, ok, sorry I was a bit in a hurry when responding, and left to after looking carefully to the links. Thank you very much! – Starckman Apr 05 '22 at 05:28
  • @naruto Keeping the same construction Noun + Postposition/Suffix + Noun, is it possible to have a postposition/suffix other than 上? In Chinese, it is possible to have very different Postposition/Suffix like 裡 'in', 後 'behind', 下 'under', etc. – Starckman Apr 05 '22 at 06:21
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    @starckman 下 is a suffix with its own usages, e.g., 意識下の "subconscious", 庇護下の "under protection", 水面下の "under the hood / behind the scenes" etc. 裡 and 後 are not Japanese suffixes. – naruto Apr 05 '22 at 07:00
  • "裡 and 後 are not Japanese suffixes.", sure, but Japanese has the equivalents 中 and 後ろ and also others like 外, 前, etc. – Starckman Apr 05 '22 at 07:08