Japanese symbol for “earlier”
前
ぜん
Romaji: zen
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
In Japanese, earlier is 前, read ぜん (zen).
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
- n-pref last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
- n-pref pre- (e.g. premodern)
- n-suf before
- adv, n before; earlier
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “earlier”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先に | さきに sakini | previously; before; earlier |
| この前 | このまえ konomae | the other day; previously; before |
| これより先 | これよりさき koreyorisaki | before this; prior to this; earlier |
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 |
See also: Chinese symbol for “earlier”.
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.