前（まえ）
JLPT N5 · noun
Pitch accent: atamadaka (head-high) — first mora high, then falls
Meaning: in front / before
Example sentences
- 駅の前で友達を待っている。 — I'm waiting for a friend in front of the station.
- 食事の前には必ず手を洗う。 — I always wash my hands before meals.
Idioms & proverbs containing “前”
- 前代未聞 (ぜんだいみもん) — unheard-of; unprecedented; unparalleled in history (unparallelled); record-breaking
- 門前の小僧 (もんぜんのこぞう) — you learn, without realising it, from what is around you; a shop-boy near the temple gate (will recite sutras untaught)
- 大事の前の小事 (だいじのまえのしょうじ) — don't put the trivial ahead of the important; don't sweat the small stuff; don't bother with the details (before embarking on a great enterprise)
- 夜明け前が一番暗い (よあけまえがいちばんくらい) — it's always darkest before the dawn; the darkest hour is just before the dawn
- 前車の覆るは後車の戒め (ぜんしゃのくつがえるはこうしゃのいましめ) — learn wisdom from the follies of others; learn from others' mistakes; the toppling over of the cart in front serves as a warning for the cart behind
- 門前の小僧習わぬ経を読む (もんぜんのこぞうならわぬきょうをよむ) — you learn, without realising it, from what is around you; a shop-boy near the temple gate will recite sutras untaught
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “前” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)