Japanese symbol for “preceding”
先行
せんこう
Romaji: senkou
going ahead; going first
In Japanese, preceding is 先行, read せんこう (senkou).
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 going ahead; going first
- adj-no, n, vi preceding; coming before; being ahead (e.g. of the times); occurring first; happening prior
- n, vi, vs scoring first; getting off to a lead (sports)
- n stalker (horse)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “preceding”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 右記 | うき uki | aforementioned (statement); preceding; at right |
| 先回 | せんかい senkai | last time; the last; the preceding |
| この前 | このまえ konomae | last (Sunday, summer, etc.); previous (e.g. mayor, chapter); preceding |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 先生 | せんせい sensei | teacher; instructor; master |
| 優先 | ゆうせん yuusen | preference; priority; precedence |
| 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 |
| 先週 | せんしゅう senshuu | last week; the week before |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 行動 | こうどう koudou | action; conduct; behaviour |
| 行う | おこなう okonau | to perform; to do; to conduct oneself |
See also: Chinese symbol for “preceding”.
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.