Japanese symbol for “ahead”
前方
ぜんぽう
Romaji: zenpou
ahead; forward; (in) front
In Japanese, ahead is 前方, read ぜんぽう (zenpou).
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.
Meanings
- adj-no, n ahead; forward; (in) front
- n having a square front
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “ahead”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先 | さき saki | (the way) ahead; beyond |
| 向こう | むこう mukou | over there; ahead; beyond |
| お先 | おさき osaki | ahead; before |
| 前 | まえ mae | forward; ahead |
| 先方 | せんぽう senpou | ahead; in front |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 名前 | なまえ namae | name |
| 以前 | いぜん izen | before; prior to; ago |
| お前 | おまえ omae | you |
| 前回 | ぜんかい zenkai | previous time; last time; previous installment |
| 午前 | ごぜん gozen | morning; a.m. |
| 当たり前 | あたりまえ atarimae | natural; reasonable; obvious |
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
See also: Chinese symbol for “ahead”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.