JLPT N5 kanji · 9 strokes · #27 by frequency
前 — In front, before
- Meaning
- In front, before
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- ゼン
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- まえ-まえ
- Radical
- 刀
Stroke order
9 strokes. The stroke to draw is in red; the previous ones are already in place.
Components
The pieces this kanji is built from. Recognizing them is half of understanding it.
Memory hook
Under the moon (月), the guard closes the lid (䒑) of the chest and plants his knife (刂) right in front (前), to scare off thieves.
Kanzen's hook for this kanji. In the app, you can adopt another learner's or write your own.
Common vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 前 | まえ | in front (of), before (e.g. a building) |
| 午前 | ごぜん | morning, a.m. |
| 名前 | なまえ | name |
| 以前 | いぜん | before, prior to, ago |
| 前者 | ぜんしゃ | the former, the first |
| 前進 | ぜんしん | advance, moving forward, progress |
Sources: meanings and readings based on KANJIDIC2 and JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0) · KanjiVG strokes © Ulrich Apel (CC BY-SA 3.0) · reading selection, French translations and memory hooks: Kanzen.