先（さき）
JLPT N5 · noun
Pitch accent: heiban (flat) — starts low, stays high, no drop
Meaning: ahead / later
Example sentences
- お先に失礼します。 — Excuse me for leaving before you.
- この先を行くと大きな駅がある。 — If you go on ahead, there's a big station.
Idioms & proverbs containing “先”
- 一寸先は闇 (いっすんさきはやみ) — no one knows what the future holds; the future is a closed book; one sun (unit of measurement) ahead is darkness
- 転ばぬ先の杖 (ころばぬさきのつえ) — prevention is better than cure; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; look before you leap; forewarned is forearmed; a stitch in time saves nine; a walking stick before stumbling
- 甘井先ず竭く (かんせいまずつく) — the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long; the well with sweet water will be the first to run dry
- 後悔先に立たず (こうかいさきにたたず) — it is no use crying over spilt milk
- 先ず隗より始めよ (まずかいよりはじめよ) — start with the first step; when embarking on a great project, start with immediate steps
- 先んずれば人を制す (さきんずればひとをせいす) — the early bird gets the worm
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “先” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)