King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “foremost”

Romaji: massaki
the head; the foremost; beginning; the very front

In Japanese, foremost is , read (massaki).

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

  1. n the head; the foremost; beginning; the very front

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

true, reality, Buddhist sect
on: シン
kun: ま、ま-、まこと
10 strokes · JLPT 3
before, ahead, previous
on: セン
kun: さき、ま.ず
6 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “foremost”

WordReadingMeaning
ゆうすう yuusuuprominent; eminent; leading
いち ichifirst; foremost
くっし kusshileading; foremost; preeminent
ゆびおり yubiorileading; prominent; eminent
まさき masakithe head; the foremost; beginning

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
しゃしん shashinphotograph; photo; picture
しんじつ shinjitsutruth; reality
まんなか mannakamiddle; centre; center
しんそう shinsoutruth; real situation
しんり shinritruth
しんけん shinkenserious; earnest
せんせい senseiteacher; instructor; master
ゆうせん yuusenpreference; priority; precedence

See also: Chinese symbol for “foremost”.

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.

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