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I know how to pronounce and translate 上 in 1, but not sure if it is pronounced うえ or じょう in 2 and if it is also translated "when". Could someone explain case 2 please?

  1. 利用上{りようじょう}の注意{ちゅうい}
    caution when using
  2. computer name 上で使用している account name の Firefox
    Firefox account name when using computer name
chocolate
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user1602
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  • Related? https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/3704/9831 / https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/29782/9831 – chocolate Aug 13 '17 at 12:52

1 Answers1

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We pronounce it じょう like in Example 1 because we have 上 without any particle between it and the previous word, and it simply means 'on'.

In Example 1, it kind of works if we call it when, but in general, 上 is used as a suffix to mean as a matter of sth. Its literal meaning is

Cautions as a matter of usage

or even better, precautions. That's what happened in Example 1.

But you are confusing the order of words in Example 2. This 上 is not the suffix for 使用, thus the translation when using or as a matter of using is incorrect.
It is right after the word computer name. That's a thing. It should mean 'on'.

Also, account name is a name of somebody, so that の works as a case particle for indicating ownership.

computer name 上{じょう}で使用{しよう}している account name の Firefox
Account name's Firefox running on computer name

Edit: I found out that this phrase can be interpreted 2 ways. The first one is shown above. The other is:

The Firefox running on account name on computer name

It's how we interpret the account name part. Firefox has a system that allows multiple profiles to be made in one installation like chrome does, so grouping account name の Firefox makes sense. But if you think of, for example, a school, it is possible that account name means your school account and that it can be used to log in to any computer in your school. Thus, grouping computer name 上で使用している account name also makes sense.

Collapsed PLUG
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  • Thank you for the suffix reference, this is very helpful. – Nutkin Aug 13 '17 at 07:38
  • おおおお久しぶりですねーもっとしょっちゅう来てほしいですーーー – chocolate Aug 13 '17 at 07:39
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    Would a more accurate translation not be “The Firefox belonging to account name on computer name”? That is, it is not the particular Firefox that the account is running on this computer (implying the same account has other Firefoxes on other computers), but the single, unique Firefox belonging to this account on this computer (implying the same account may exist on other computers)? Or, to bracket it: [ computer name 上で使用している account name ] の [ Firefox ], rather than [ computer name 上で使用している ] [ account name の Firefox ]. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Aug 13 '17 at 10:11
  • I think that works. I'll add that in. When I read the sentence the first time, I thought this computer had an installation of Firefox that has multiple accounts (like how chrome works.) And this is actually a thing; Firefox has a system that allows users to create their profiles to control access to important data. Also, when I think of places I am likely to see such sentences, I imagined some kind of control panel. And I thought the system disclosing the name of the account on the computer used to run Firefox is unlikely because I thought it's insecure. – Collapsed PLUG Aug 13 '17 at 13:25
  • I am not sure how authoritative the following dictionary is, but 上 should be pronounced うえ if it is interpreted as "on": http://tangorin.com/general/%E4%B8%8A – user1602 Aug 13 '17 at 16:22
  • @user1602 Hmm... You mean the example of "地図上," right? That sounds very strange (and hard to pronounce) to me. When it comes to "上" forming a kind of "idiom" by going right after a word that is not a particle, I believe we always pronounce it "じょう." (Notice the same example is in the entry of "じょう".) But we might need to confirm it on the chat room. Can you join one? – Collapsed PLUG Aug 19 '17 at 00:14
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    We have confirmed that the example in tangorin is unfortunately wrong. Put the phrase in jisho.org. It should come up as "ちずじょう." The case we pronounce it "うえ" in such case is when "上" comes after a particle. "地図の上" indeed reads "ちずのうえ" and means "on the map." – Collapsed PLUG Aug 19 '17 at 00:59
  • Is 上 pronounced as うえ after a verb like explained in https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/57127/3371 – user1602 Mar 10 '18 at 08:04