ChiramiN5 kanji · 9 strokes
前 means front, before
前
丷 looks like a tray · 月 meat · 刂 knife
前Memory trick
Meat (月) on a tray, a knife beside it: dinner is right in front of you.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- in front, before
- JLPT level
- N5
- Strokes
- 9
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) まえ mae
まえ (mae) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) ゼン zen
ゼン (zen) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
午前 ごぜん · gozen
morning, a.m.
Built from
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
丷 Used in 140 kanji
See all 17 at N5 and N4刂 Used in 43 kanji
See all 3 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 前 mean?
Right: 前 means front, before.Not quite: 前 means front, before.In 午前, which reading does 前 use?
Right. 午前 is read ごぜん (gozen): 前 takes ゼン, its reading from Chinese.Not quite. 午前 is read ごぜん (gozen): 前 takes ゼン, its reading from Chinese.