Japanese symbol for “precedent”
前例
ぜんれい
Romaji: zenrei
precedent
In Japanese, precedent is 前例, read ぜんれい (zenrei).
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 precedent
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “precedent”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先例 | せんれい senrei | precedent |
| 例 | れい rei | precedent |
| 事例 | じれい jirei | example; precedent; case |
| 例 | ためし tameshi | precedent; example |
| 実例 | じつれい jitsurei | example; illustration; precedent |
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 |
| 例えば | たとえば tatoeba | for example; for instance; e.g. |
| 例外 | れいがい reigai | exception |
See also: Chinese symbol for “precedent”.
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.