Japanese symbol for “precedence”
優先
ゆうせん
Romaji: yuusen
preference; priority; precedence; right of way
In Japanese, precedence is 優先, read ゆうせん (yuusen).
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, vi preference; priority; precedence; right of way
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “precedence”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 順位 | じゅんい jun'i | order; rank; position (e.g. in a race) |
| 次第 | しだい shidai | order; program; programme |
| 上席 | じょうせき jouseki | seniority; precedence; upper seat |
| 席次 | せきじ sekiji | seating order; precedence |
| 先番 | せんばん senban | precedence; first move (in games) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 優勝 | ゆうしょう yuushou | overall victory; championship; winning the title |
| 女優 | じょゆう joyuu | actress; female actor |
| 優秀 | ゆうしゅう yuushuu | superior; excellent; brilliant |
| 俳優 | はいゆう haiyuu | actor; actress; player |
| 優しい | やさしい yasashii | tender; kind; gentle |
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 先輩 | せんぱい senpai | senior (at school, work, etc.); superior; elder |
| 先日 | せんじつ senjitsu | the other day; a few days ago |
See also: Chinese symbol for “precedence”.
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.