Recognize 前 in everyday Japanese and connect its meanings, in front and before, with whole words in context.

The idea

Compare 前（まえ） and 午前（ごぜん） in the table: a character can have different readings in different words. 前 has 9 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
前まえfront; before
午前ごぜんmorning; a.m.
名前なまえname
食事の前しょくじのまえbefore a meal

Examples

  • 駅えきの前まえで待まちます。I wait in front of the station.
  • 家いえの前まえに車くるまがあります。There is a car in front of the house.
  • 食事しょくじの前まえに手てを洗あらいます。I wash my hands before a meal.
  • 午前ごぜん九時くじに出でます。I leave at nine in the morning.
  • 名前なまえを紙かみに書かきます。I write my name on the paper.
  • 私わたしの前まえに人ひとがいます。There is a person in front of me.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

前（まえ） can refer to a place in front or a time before an event. 午前 uses ぜん, while 名前 is read なまえ as a whole; compare 午後 for p.m.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 前 in hiragana.

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    まえ

    前 is read まえ; the complete word means front; before.

  2. Write the reading of 午前 in hiragana.

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    ごぜん

    午前 is read ごぜん; the complete word means morning; a.m..

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: 午＿（ごぜん）.

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    前

    前 completes 午前, read ごぜん; the complete word means morning; a.m..

Use it today

Cover the table and write 前 from memory. Read 前 and 午前 aloud, then make a sentence and check its meaning against the examples.