preface, beginning, order, precedence

About this kanji

The kanji 「序」 (jo) primarily means preface or beginning, referring to the order of things or an occasion. It is often used as a noun but can also appear in verbs. You’ll find it in compounds like 序盤 (じょばん), meaning the opening phase of a game, and 秩序 (ちつじょ), which means order or organization. Another example is 順序 (じゅんじょ), referring to sequence or order. Additionally, 序で (ついで) means opportunity or occasion. A useful note is that 「序」 can convey the idea of setting up or introducing something, making it relevant in many contexts where an orderly start is important.

Example sentences

• 物事の序を守るべきだ。

  One should adhere to the order of things.

Meanings across languages

English

preface, beginning, order, precedence, occasion, chance, incidentally

Tiếng Việt

mở đầu

日本語

序文

한국어

서문

中文

序言

id

kata pendahuluan

th

บทนำ

es

prefacio

fr

préface

de

Einleitung

pt

prefácio

Common compounds

• 序盤じょばんopening (in a game of go, chess, etc.), early stages, initial phase
• 秩序ちつじょorder, discipline, regularity
• 順序じゅんじょorder, sequence, procedure
• 序でついでopportunity, occasion, chance
• 序列じょれつrank, ranking order, hierarchy
• 序でについでにwhile (one is at it), when, on the occasion of
• 無秩序むちつじょdisorder, chaos, confusion
• 年功序列ねんこうじょれつseniority by length of service