The kanji character 前 represents "before," "in front," "previous," or "the past." It generally conveys the idea of something being located ahead in space or time, or preceding something else. It can refer to a position, a time, or even a degree.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゼン (zen) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): まえ (mae)

⚫︎前 (まえ) に進 (すす) む。 Translation: Go forward. ⚫︎名前 (なまえ) の前 (まえ) に名字 (みょうじ) を書 (か) きます。 Translation: Write the family name before the given name. ⚫︎今 (いま) 日 (きょう) の前 (まえ) は昨日 (きのう) です。 Translation: The day before today is yesterday.

The kanji 前 is a pictograph. It depicts a person 人 standing in front of a building 冂, or a vessel 刂. The symbol 冂 later evolved and merged with the symbol for a foot 止 to represent the idea of “going forward” or “in front”. This visual representation of a person moving or being situated in the front is the core of its meaning. The character's evolution reflects the concept of something being "ahead" or "in front" of something else.