前 — “before / front” in Japanese

Grade 2ぜん, まえ

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

“before / front” in Japanese is 前, read zen, mae (ぜん, まえ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 名前 (name).

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What does 前 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	前
Meaning	before / front
Readings	ぜん, まえ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	名前 (name)

How to read 前

前 is read zen (ぜん) or mae (まえ) depending on the word.

Words with 前

前半ぜんはん
名前なまえ
前後ぜんご
昼前ひるまえ
桜前線さくらぜんせん
一年前いちねんまえ
前半十分ぜんはんじゅっぷん
駅前
腕前
錠前

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Kanji read the same way as 前

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28