尻上がり

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The written form is 尻上がり, read しりあがり. Elements for the rear or ending and for rising combine to describe late improvement or an upward ending.
• Basic usage: 尻上がりに調子を上げる describes performance improving over time, while 語尾が尻上がりになる describes rising intonation at the end of a question.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Late improvement
  • The improvement develops toward the later part rather than being present from the start. Example: チームは後半から尻上がりに調子を上げた。 — The team's form improved steadily in the second half.
• Rising intonation
  • It can also refer to pitch rising at the end of an utterance, not to performance. Example: 質問する時は語尾が尻上がりになることがある。 — The speaker's intonation sometimes rises at the end of a question.