The kanji 前 primarily represents "before," "in front," or "previous." It indicates a position or time that precedes something else. It can refer to physical location or chronological order. It carries the sense of being ahead or earlier.

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

⚫︎ 名前 (namae) Translation: Name (literally "in front of the name") ⚫︎ 午前 (gozen) Translation: A.M. (literally "before noon") ⚫︎ 前日 (zenjitsu) Translation: The day before (literally "previous day")

The kanji 前 is a pictograph. It depicts a person 人 standing in front of a building 冂 with a foot 止 in the position of before stepping. Over time, the form of the building simplified. The foot implies movement and being ahead. This combination of elements conveys the meaning of "in front" or "before."