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How to say 'Former' in Japanese | 前者

Wondering how to say 'Former' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Former is 'Zensha', written as 前者 in Japanese.'Former' in hiragana is ぜんしゃ.

    word

    前者

    Meaning

    Former

    Reading

    ぜんしゃ

    zensha

    Kanji

    前Before, Front 者Someone

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '前者 (ぜんしゃ)' means 'the former' and is used to refer to the first of two things or people mentioned earlier in a conversation or text. It is often paired with '後者 (こうしゃ)', which means 'the latter'. For example: Between tea and coffee, I prefer the former「紅茶とコーヒーのうち、前者が好きです」(こうちゃとコーヒーのうち、ぜんしゃがすきです). When comparing two options, the former is usually the first one mentioned. This word is commonly used in formal or written contexts to avoid repetition.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    3

    Frequency

    4154

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 前者

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    前

    Meaning

    Before, Front

  • kanji

    者

    Meaning

    Someone

Words Related to 前者 Through the Kanji 前

These 29 Words contain the Kanji 前 as well.

  • word

    前

    Meaning

    Before, Front

  • 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

Words Related to 前者 Through the Kanji 者

These 28 Words contain the Kanji 者 as well.

  • word

    患者

    Meaning

    Patient

  • word

    お医者さん

    Meaning

    Doctor

  • word

    歯医者

    Meaning

    Dentist

  • word

    若者

    Meaning

    Youth

  • word

    医者

    Meaning

    Doctor

  • word

    記者

    Meaning

    Reporter

  • word

    読者

    Meaning

    Reader

  • word

    両者

    Meaning

    Both

  • word

    消費者

    Meaning

    Consumer

  • word

    科学者

    Meaning

    Scientist

  • word

    筆者

    Meaning

    Author

  • word

    後者

    Meaning

    Latter

  • word

    他者

    Meaning

    Others

  • word

    学者

    Meaning

    Scholar

  • word

    作者

    Meaning

    Author

  • word

    著者

    Meaning

    Author

  • word

    死者

    Meaning

    Dead

  • word

    業者

    Meaning

    Trader, Contractor

  • word

    役者

    Meaning

    Actor

  • word

    歩行者

    Meaning

    Pedestrian

  • word

    文学者

    Meaning

    Literary scholar

  • word

    信者

    Meaning

    Follower, Believer

  • word

    歩行者天国

    Meaning

    Pedestrian zone

  • word

    者

    Meaning

    Person

  • word

    何者

    Meaning

    What, Who

  • word

    労働者

    Meaning

    Worker

  • word

    使者

    Meaning

    Messenger

  • word

    保護者

    Meaning

    Guardian

Learn the Word 前者

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What does 'Zensha' (前者) mean?

'Zensha' means 'Former' .

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