before, front, in front of

About this kanji

The kanji 前 primarily means "before" or "in front of" and is used both as a noun and in various compounds. As a noun, you can use it in words like 前日 (ぜんじつ), which means "the day before." In everyday conversation, you might say 前に (まえに), meaning "in front" or refer to something that happened 以前 (いぜん), which means "previously." Another common usage is in 前進 (ぜんしん), meaning "advance." This kanji is often associated with time and space, so it’s useful in many contexts. Note that when using 前, its meaning can change based on context, so be attentive to that in conversations.

Built from

Example sentences

• 前に進んでください。

  Please move forward.

Meanings across languages

English

before, front, in front of

Tiếng Việt

trước, phía trước

日本語

前

한국어

이전, 앞, 앞에

中文

之前, 前面, 在前面

id

sebelum, depan, di depan

th

ก่อน, ด้านหน้า, ข้างหน้า

es

antes, frente, delante

fr

avant, devant, en avant

de

vor, vorn, vorne

pt

antes, frente, à frente de

Common compounds

• 前日ぜんじつthe day before
• 前にまえにin front, before
• 以前いぜんpreviously, before
• 前進ぜんしんadvance, go forward