Meaning of 以上 and 以下 according to water depth level


Reading a text like:

> 海の深さが200m以上{いじょう}

The first thing that came into my mind was:

> Above a level of 200m depth

But then I realized that my understanding can be wrong and it may mean
something like:

> At a depth over 200m

**Which interpretation is correct?**

It can be associated with [this
question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/56036/use-
of-%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8A-and-%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8B-with-negative-numbers) but the
answer may be different in this particular context.

Source for an example usage: [NHK Easy
News](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10011789551000/k10011789551000.html)




As Kentaro Tomono noted in a comment, this particular context is talking about
the depth of the water, so it would have to be _"more than 200m"_ , not _"less
deep than 200m"_. Although the 以上 refers to "above", it's like saying in
English, _"200m **or more** "_.

以上 and 以下 are, strictly speaking, _inclusive_. If we say in Japanese,
「200m以上【いじょう】」, we're technically saying _"200m **or more** "_, and
_including_ the 200m in the range of values we're talking about. If we say in
English, _" **more than** 200m"_, we're being _exclusive_ , so that a value of
200m is _excluded_ from the range of values we're talking about.

Writers in Japanese often use 以上 and 以下 in their original inclusive senses.
Possibly due to influence from English, they sometimes also use these terms in
a way closer to the English "more than" or "less than" in their exclusive
senses. So you really need to pay attention to context to discern the best way
of translating these terms -- especially in fields like finances or medicine.




As Kentaro Tomono noted in a comment, this particular context is talking about
the depth of the water, so it would have to be _"more than 200m"_ , not _"less
deep than 200m"_. Although the 以上 refers to "above", it's like saying in
English, _"200m **or more** "_.

以上 and 以下 are, strictly speaking, _inclusive_. If we say in Japanese,
「200m以上【いじょう】」, we're technically saying _"200m **or more** "_, and
_including_ the 200m in the range of values we're talking about. If we say in
English, _" **more than** 200m"_, we're being _exclusive_ , so that a value of
200m is _excluded_ from the range of values we're talking about.

Writers in Japanese often use 以上 and 以下 in their original inclusive senses.
Possibly due to influence from English, they sometimes also use these terms in
a way closer to the English "more than" or "less than" in their exclusive
senses. So you really need to pay attention to context to discern the best way
of translating these terms -- especially in fields like finances or medicine.

