What does 前 mean in Japanese?
前 covers both ‘front’ in space and ‘before’ in time, a pairing English splits into two words.
The kun’yomi まえ (mae) is the everyday word (駅の前 = in front of the station; 三時前 = before three), while the on’yomi ゼン builds compounds like 午前 (ごぜん, a.m.) and 以前 (いぜん, previously).
Reading
On’yomi: ゼン (zen)
Kun’yomi: まえ (mae)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 前 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | before, front |
| Stroke Count | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
まえ is highly frequent and flexible: physically ‘in front of’ (前に立つ) and temporally ‘ago / before’ (一年前, 食べる前に). It also hides in 名前 (name), a word learners often meet before they analyze the kanji. ゼン compounds such as 午前 and 前回 are neutral and common.
Common Words
- 前（まえ / mae） — front, before
- 午前（ごぜん / gozen） — morning, a.m.
- 名前（なまえ / namae） — name
- 前回（ぜんかい / zenkai） — last time, previous time
- 以前（いぜん / izen） — before, previously
- 前日（ぜんじつ / zenjitsu） — the previous day
Example Sentences
-
駅の前で待っています。
えきのまえでまっています。 / Eki no mae de matte imasu.
I am waiting in front of the station.
-
名前をここに書いてください。
なまえをここにかいてください。 / Namae o koko ni kaite kudasai.
Please write your name here.
-
前回の試験は難しかったです。
ぜんかいのしけんはむずかしかったです。 / Zenkai no shiken wa muzukashikatta desu.
The last exam was difficult.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Learn まえ first; it does the most work. Position words follow the pattern place + の + 前 + に (駅の前に). For time, 前 follows the amount: 三日前 (three days ago), 食べる前 (before eating). Note 名前 (name) uses まえ. 前 and 後 (after / behind) are direct opposites and are best learned together as 前後.
Summary
前 means front or before; まえ for everyday use and ゼン in compounds like 午前.