first half of a game or contest
上 · 3 strokes
Originally a small line or dot above a longer line, indicating "up". The vertical line was added to distinguish the character from 二 (two). Opposite of 下.
半 · 5 strokes
Depicts separating a cow (牛) into two halves (八).
场 · 6 strokes
Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 𠃓 represents the sound.