Chinese symbol for “previously”
从前
cóng qián
Traditional: 從前
previously; formerly; once upon a time
The closest CC-CEDICT match for previously is 从前 (cóng qián), defined as: previously; formerly; once upon a time.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “previously”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 早前 | zǎo qián | previously |
| 早先 | zǎo xiān | previously; before |
| 曾 | céng | once; already |
| 先前 | xiān qián | before; previously |
| 之前 | zhī qián | before; prior to |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 从前.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 从事 (從事) | cóng shì | to go for; to engage in |
| 从而 (從而) | cóng ér | thus; thereby |
| 从来 (從來) | cóng lái | always; at all times |
| 自从 (自從) | zì cóng | since (a time); ever since |
| 从未 (從未) | cóng wèi | never |
| 从此 (從此) | cóng cǐ | from now on; since then |
| 目前 | mù qián | at the present time; currently |
| 之前 | zhī qián | before; prior to |
See also: Japanese symbol for “previously”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.