前
[ma̠e̞]
The Japanese word for 'before' is 前.
前 can be used to express time, location or precedence. Depending on the context, it can signify being in front of something in space or occurring earlier in time.
Meaning: in advance of the time when (conj)
Which one should you use?
The word 前 can mean both 'before' (in time) and 'front' (in space) depending on the context.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used to mean 'before doing [verb]', the noun 前 is preceded by the particle に.
Did you know?
- If you are addressing someone with high respect, you might use 前 as part of a contraction of 御前 (gozen), which acts as an honorific title rather than a temporal marker.
- The word 前 can be traced back to a compound meaning 'eye direction', originally combining the words for 'eye' and 'direction'.
- The word 'mae' can be used as a suffix to denote a period of time that has passed, such as 'three years ago'.
Examples in context
- ７時前にね。See you a little before 7.This sentence shows how to use 前 to refer to a time before a specific hour.Tatoeba #234964 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #72341 by Zifre
- 前にもあったよ。It happened before.This sentence demonstrates using 前 to indicate that an event occurred previously.Tatoeba #9795447 by small_snow, translation #2248726 by CK
- 郵便は昼前に来る。The mail arrives before noon.This sentence illustrates using 前 to indicate a time prior to noon.Tatoeba #79184 by small_snow, translation #492877 by Swift
- 会議の 前 に、資料を準備してください。Please prepare the documents before the meeting.
- 先前 にお知らせがあったかと思いますが、イベントは中止になりました。As I informed you before, the event has been canceled.
- 今、出かける 前に 、電話しておきます。I will call before I leave home.
- 691 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about their meeting time at a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren会議の前に、資料を読んでおいて。Kaigi no mae ni, shiryou o yonde oite.Please read the documents before the meeting.
- 結衣 Yuiわかりました。準備しておきますね。Wakarimashita. Junbi shite okimasu ne.Understood. I will get prepared.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さん、よろしくお願いします。Yui-san, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Yui, I'm counting on you.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、蓮さん。Hai, Ren-san.Yes, Ren.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 前, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 前, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
