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前

Front
Stroke count: 9

Readings

On readingゼン
Kun readingまえ

Verbs with «前»

前進する前述する前後する

Meanings

  1. front
  2. before
  3. in frontRtK
    彼は部下たちの前を歩いた。He walked in front of his men.tatoeba
  1. in front (of)
  2. before (e.g. a building)
  3. earlier
  4. previously

Synonyms

一人前

Homonyms

ⓘ
Same spelling, other readings
  • 前 ぜん — last (i.e. immediately preceding)

Popular Usage

午前名前以前前者前進前後腕前当たり前

Radicals and components

Components
How it's built
前
  • →
  • →
  • →

Mnemonic (RtK)

ⓘ

horns · butcher · moon (月) · month (月) · flesh (月) · part of the body (月) · sword (刀) · sabre (刀) · saber (刀)

From "Remembering the Kanji" by James Heisig · Frame 309

Compound words

午前ごぜん
morning; a.m.
名前なまえ
name; given name; first name
以前いぜん
before; prior to; ago; the past; before
前者ぜんしゃ
the former; the first
前進ぜんしん
advance; moving forward; progress
前後ぜんご
front and rear; front and back; before and behind; back and forth; before and after
前任ぜんにん
former (incumbent); predecessor
前夜祭ぜんやさい
event held the night before another event; eve (of a festival) (e.g. Christmas Eve)
~年前ねんまえ
~ years before
割り前勘定わりまえかんじょう
each paying for his own account
腕前うでまえ
ability; skill; facility
当たり前あたりまえ
natural; reasonable; obvious; usual; common
お前おまえ
you; before (a god, nobleman, etc.); in front of
駅前えきまえ
in front of a station
気前きまえ
generosity
空前くうぜん
unprecedented; record-breaking
左前ひだりまえ
wearing a kimono with the right side over the left (normally used only for the dead); downturn; recession; economic adversity; being in a bad financial situation
事前じぜん
prior; beforehand; in advance; before the fact; ex ante
自前じまえ
paying one's own expenses; going into business for oneself; working independently; person who earns their own living
手前てまえ
before oneself; in front of one; nearby; a bit before reaching (a location); this side (of a location)
出前でまえ
home delivery (of food); outside catering
人前にんまえ
portion of food
寸前すんぜん
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of; just in front of; just ahead of
生前せいぜん
while alive; during one's lifetime
彼は首を前後に振りました。ぜんご
He shook his head back and forth.tatoeba
彼は私の前方を歩いた。ぜんぽう
He walked ahead of me.tatoeba
爆弾が落ちたとき、私は家が前後に揺れ動くのを感じた。ぜんご
When the bomb was dropped, I felt the house rock back and forth.tatoeba
彼は米国に発つ前に東京にいる上司に会いたいと思った。まえ
He wanted to see his boss in Tokyo before leaving for America.tatoeba
彼は父親の前では何もものが言えない。まえ
He can't say anything to his father's face.tatoeba
彼は父親の前では落ち着かなかった。まえ
He felt uneasy in his father's presence.tatoeba
彼は米国に発つ前に東京にいる上司に会いたいと思った。
He wanted to see his boss in Tokyo before leaving for America.tatoeba
彼は父親の前では何もものが言えない。
He can't say anything to his father's face.tatoeba
彼は父親の前では落ち着かなかった。
He felt uneasy in his father's presence.tatoeba
前者が特に知られている。
In particular, the former is well known.wiki
本項では前者について解説する。
The following explanation concerns the former.wiki
前進座の創立に参加。
Participated in the opening of the Zenshin-za Theatre.wiki
- 前進座創立者の一人
- One of the founders of a theatrical group called the Zenshinza (literally, the Advance)wiki

Real voices: how native speakers say it

These sentences were read aloud by real people — native Japanese speakers — for the open Mozilla Common Voice project. Listen to how a phrase sounds in real speech: the intonation, the pace, the way words run together. Two speakers mean two different people read it — compare them.

あなたの名前は何ですか。
あなたのなまえはなにですか。What is your name?
さあ、お前の罪を数えろ。
さあ、おまえのつみをかぞえろ。Now, count your sins.
夜遅くラーメン食べるけど寝る前じゃないのでセーフ
よるおそくらーめんたべるけどねるまえじゃないのでせーふI eat ramen late at night, but since it's not right before bed, I'm safe.

Recordings and sentences: Mozilla Common Voice, CC0

Stroke Order

9 strokes

Front, before. A boat and 刂 (knife) — a boat cutting through water as it moves ahead.

Practice Writing

Practice Writing 前

Draw with a guide, then from memory — checked at every step