Japanese symbol for “previous”
前
ぜん
Romaji: zen
last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
In Japanese, previous 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 “previous”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 後 | あと ato | past; previous |
| 従前 | じゅうぜん juuzen | previous; former |
| 先 | せん sen | former; previous; old |
| 先 | さき saki | previous; prior; former |
| 古 | ふる furu | old; used; previous |
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 “previous”.
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.