There are several meanings for 以上, including “more than” and “or more”, which while not 100% the same are close enough. And that’s the idea that I’ve learned. However going through the alternatives and context sentences I see it can also mean “that’s all”, which on the face of it is exactly the opposite.
Is there a Japanese way of looking at the word that can reconcile it, or does it just mean the opposite sometimes and I’ll have to pick it up from context?
It can mean “the above”, so for the case of 以上です when it’s used as a closing statement, you can maybe think of it literally like “It is what I said above (I have nothing else to add)”. You might have to reconcile “above” and “before” more metaphorically, but I guess it’s not that hard. Also in context it’ll be pretty obvious, it’s more of a set phrase, compared to the suffix meaning. There’s more uses as well just to be confusing but they all have different patterns of use and attach to different things
When it means “more than” or “or more” it is typically attaching to some numerical value.
１０個以上 means “10 or more” (note that these kinds of words in Japanese are almost always inclusive of the mentioned number)
When it’s on its own as a closing remark, it means “that’s all.”
Thank you. That helps reduce the weirdness.
And thank you. That should help me distinguish. 