What does kanji 先 mean?

The primary meaning of kanji 先 is before.

How is kanji 先 read?

The kunyomi readings for kanji 先 are さき, ま.ず; the onyomi readings are セン.

Which school grade teaches kanji 先?

Kanji 先 is taught in Jōyō Grade 1.

What is the main radical of kanji 先?

The main radical for kanji 先 is 儿.

What words use kanji 先?

Example words that use kanji 先 include 先勝, 先月, 先進国, 先生.

JōyōJLPT N5Kanken 10

先

Meaning

Kanji 先

before

before, ahead, previous, future, precedence

Stroke Order

Readings

Kunyomi 訓読み: さきま.ず
Onyomi 音読み: セン
Nanori 名乗り: ぽん

Added to Jōyō: 1946

Jōyō: Grade 1
JLPT: JLPT N5
Frequency: #173
Strokes: 6
Radical: 儿
Components: ノ • 儿 • 土
Kanji Kentei: Level 10
Similar Kanji: -

Related vocabulary

36 common entries

Showing 36 of 605 entries that include this kanji.

先勝

せんしょう

day that is lucky in the morning, but not in the afternoon (in the traditional calendar)

先月

せんげつ

last month

先進国

せんしんこく

advanced (developed) country

先生

せんせい

intimate or teasing form of address

先行き

さきゆき

the future

先に

さきに

beforehand

先頭

せんとう

head (of a line, group, etc.)

先週

せんしゅう

last week

先輩

せんぱい

senior (at work or school)

先日

せんじつ

the other day

先端

せんたん

forefront

先祖

せんぞ

ancestor

View all words

Example sentences

5 reference sentences

では、お先に失礼します。

Well then, I'll be leaving first.

先のことはまだ分からない。

I still don't know what the future holds.

先週はとても忙しかった。

Last week was very busy.

この先、道が細くなります。

The road gets narrower ahead.

彼は私より先に着いた。

He arrived before me.