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How to say 'Before' or 'Front' in Japanese | 前

Wondering how to say 'Before' or 'Front' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Before or Front is 'Mae', written as 前 in Japanese.'Before' or 'Front' in hiragana is まえ.

    word

    Meaning

    Before, Front

    Reading

    まえ

    mae

    Kanji

    Before, Front

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '前 (まえ)' has two primary meanings. The first is 'front', referring to the forward-facing part or side of something. For example: the front of the house「家の前」(いえのまえ). The second meaning is 'before', indicating a time or event that precedes another. For example: before the meeting「会議の前」(かいぎのまえ). It's important to note that '前' can also be used in compound words to indicate precedence or priority, such as '前売り (まえうり)' meaning 'advance sale'. Additionally, '前' can be used in expressions like '前に (まえに)' to mean 'in front of' or 'before' in a temporal sense, as in 'before eating'「食べる前に」(たべるまえに).

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    95

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Before, Front

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 29 Words contain the Kanji 前 as well.

  • word

    御前

    Meaning

    You

  • word

    名前

    Meaning

    Name

  • word

    以前

    Meaning

    Before, Previously

  • word

    昼前

    Meaning

    Before noon

  • word

    前後

    Meaning

    Approximately, Before and after

  • word

    前提

    Meaning

    Premise

  • word

    当たり前

    Meaning

    Natural, Obvious

  • word

    午前

    Meaning

    Morning, AM

  • word

    前回

    Meaning

    Last time

  • word

    前期

    Meaning

    First half

  • word

    前述

    Meaning

    Aforementioned

  • word

    直前

    Meaning

    Just before

  • word

    事前

    Meaning

    Advance, Prior

  • word

    前進

    Meaning

    Advance

  • word

    手前

    Meaning

    Oneself, Front

  • word

    前半

    Meaning

    First half

  • word

    戦前

    Meaning

    Prewar

  • word

    前者

    Meaning

    Former

  • word

    前方

    Meaning

    Front

  • word

    前掲

    Meaning

    Aforementioned

  • word

    前向き

    Meaning

    Positive

  • word

    人前

    Meaning

    Public

  • word

    前もって

    Meaning

    Beforehand

  • word

    出前

    Meaning

    Delivery

  • word

    前日

    Meaning

    Previous day

  • word

    前売り券

    Meaning

    Advance, Ticket

  • word

    前年

    Meaning

    Previous year

  • word

    建て前

    Meaning

    Principle, Facade

  • word

    駅前

    Meaning

    Station front

Learn the Word

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What does 'Mae' (前) mean?

'Mae' means 'Before' or 'Front' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.