前
前 — In front
in front, before
On’yomiゼン (zen)
Kun’yomiまえ (mae)
Kun’yomi-まえ (mae)
Stroke order (9 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 前
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 午前 | ごぜん gozen | morning; a.m. |
| 前年 | ぜんねん zennen | the preceding year; the previous year; last year |
| 前回 | ぜんかい zenkai | previous time; last time; previous installment |
| 前提 | ぜんてい zentei | condition; assumption; prerequisite |
| 前日 | ぜんじつ zenjitsu | previous day; day before; eve |
| 直前 | ちょくぜん chokuzen | just before; just prior to; right in front of |
Study notes
前 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #27 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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