before, previous, ahead, future
On'yomi (音読み)
- セン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- さき
- ま.ず
About this kanji
The kanji 「先」 primarily means "before" or "ahead," and it can be used as both a noun and a verb. It represents the concept of something that comes first in time or position. Common compounds include 先生 (せんせい), meaning "teacher," which refers to someone who teaches or instructs, and 先週 (せんしゅう) and 先月 (せんげつ), which mean "last week" and "last month," respectively, indicating timeframes that are in the past. When using this kanji, remember that it often relates to situations or events that are prior to the present, making it very useful for discussing time.
Built from
Example sentences
先生が来ました。
The teacher has come.
Meanings across languages
- English
- before, previous, ahead, future
- Tiếng Việt
- trước, khá, bên kia, tương lai
- 日本語
- 前, 先, 前途
- 한국어
- 앞서
- 中文
- 之前
- id
- sebelum
- th
- ก่อน
- es
- antes
- fr
- avant
- de
- vorher
- pt
- antes
Common compounds
- 先生せんせいteacher
- 先週せんしゅうlast week
- 先月せんげつlast month
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.