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Kanji Detail for 先 - "ahead, before, first"

先

  • Meaning

    先 means "ahead, before, first."

    1. Ahead - In front; a position forward.

    2. Before - Earlier in time; previously.

    3. First - Primary; foremost.

    4. To precede - To go before; to take the lead.

    5. First - Initially; first of all; primarily.

  • Words using 先

    • 先月 せんげつ Listen last month
    • 先生 せんせい Listen teacher; instructor; master
    • 先進国 せんしんこく Listen developed country; advanced country
    • 優先 ゆうせん Listen preference; priority; precedence
    • 先発 せんぱつ Listen starting in advance; starting first; going first
    • 先進 せんしん Listen advanced; developed; seniority
    • 先頭 せんとう Listen head (of a line, group, etc.); front; lead
    • 先行 せんこう Listen going ahead; going first; preceding

  • Four-character idioms with 先

    • 先制攻撃 せんせいこうげき Listen preemptive strike; preemptive attack; first strike
    • 先刻承知 せんこくしょうち Listen being already (well) aware
    • 先憂後楽 せんゆうこうらく Listen worrying before one's people worry, enjoying oneself only after one's people have enjoyed themselves (a precept to be observed by a ruler)
    • 先手必勝 せんてひっしょう Listen victory goes to the one who makes the first move; being quick to take action leads to victory; the early bird gets the worm
    • 先祖伝来 せんぞでんらい Listen inherited; family (heirloom); ancestral
    • 率先垂範 そっせんすいはん Listen set an example worth following; take the initiative in doing something thereby setting an example for others to follow

  • Tattoo check: 先

    • Verified meaning: ahead, before, first
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read あゆみ, さき, さきざき, すすむ)

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 先

    Given names 先(あゆみ)Listen 先(さき)Listen 先(すすむ)Listen

    Surnames 先(さきざき)Listen 先(せん)Listen 先(せんさき)Listen 先(せんざき)Listen 先(たかさき)Listen 先(ひろさき)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    before; ahead; previous; future; precedence

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    first, former, previous

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    first, former, previous

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Before. As opposed to after. Referring to what is earlier in time. | Deceased persons are called 先. Such as 先君 (late lord), 先帝 (late emperor), 先嚴 (late father), 先兄 (late elder brother). | To precede. Comparatively earlier. Such as 先我著鞭 (getting a head start on me), 先事預防 (taking precautions beforehand). | Abbreviation for British shilling. In British currency, twelve pence equals one shilling.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    sen(セン) セン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    ma.zu(ま-ず) ま-ず

    saki(さき) さき

  • Strokes

    tip

    6 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    儿 (ninnyo・hitoashi)

  • Related Keywords

    ahead before first precede previously antecedent anterior earlier foremost former forward front initial lead pioneer preceding preeminent primary prior tip

Sentences including 先

  • What a good teacher mr hirayama is !

  • Did you inform your teacher of this?

  • I asked my teacher what to do next.

  • The teacher assented to our plan.

  • He won the prize last week.

  • You should act on your teacher's advice.

  • Send your baggage in advance.

  • Is he your teacher?

  • I wanna run away i don't know how to set me free to live.

  • He will be a good teacher.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 儿 (ninnyo・hitoashi)

See all kanji with this radical →

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