先 — Kanji Reference
先 (before, ahead): 6 strokes, JLPT N5. On: セン. Kun: さき.
先
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Meaning | before, ahead |
| Strokes | 6 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) | セン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) | さき |
| Radical | 儿 (human/legs) [U+513F] |
Stroke Order
The stroke order for 先 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The short horizontal line at the top.
- Stroke 2: The second horizontal line, slightly longer than the first.
- Stroke 3: The vertical line descending from the center of the horizontal lines.
- Stroke 4: The short diagonal stroke starting from the center vertical line, moving left.
- Stroke 5: The long diagonal stroke starting from the center vertical line, moving right.
- Stroke 6: The final long sweeping stroke (the "legs" of the human radical).
Radical Analysis
The kanji 先 is composed of two parts:
- Top part (𠂇): An ancient representation of a person or a hand.
- Bottom part (儿): The radical for "human" or "legs."
Etymology: The kanji depicts a person (儿) with something above or in front of them (𠂇). It originally represented a person moving forward, which evolved into the abstract meaning of "ahead" or "before" in time or space.
Mnemonic
Imagine a person (the bottom radical) walking with their head (the top part) tilted forward. Because they are leaning forward, they are always ahead of everyone else.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
セン (Sen)
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 先輩 | せんぱい | senpai | senior |
| 先月 | せんげつ | sengetsu | last month |
| 先週 | せんしゅう | senshuu | last week |
| 先日 | せんじつ | senjitsu | the other day |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
さき (Saki)
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 先に | さきに | saki ni | ahead / beforehand |
| 先っちょ | さきっちょ | sakiccho | tip / point (colloquial) |
JLPT N5 Words Using 先
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 先 | さき | saki | ahead | N5 |
| 先月 | せんげつ | sengetsu | last month | N5 |
| 先週 | せんしゅう | senshuu | last week | N5 |
| 先輩 | せんぱい | senpai | senior | N4 |
| 先日 | せんじつ | senjitsu | the other day | N4 |
| 先生 | せんせい | sensei | teacher | N5 |
| 先ず | まず | mazu | first of all | N3 |
| 先ほど | さきほど | sakihodo | a short while ago | N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 先に行きます。 | さきに いきます。 | Saki ni ikimasu. | I will go ahead. |
| 先生は親切です。 | せんせいは しんせつです。 | Sensei wa shinsetsu desu. | The teacher is kind. |
| 先月、日本へ行きました。 | せんげつ、 にほんへ いきました。 | Sengetsu, Nihon e ikimashita. | I went to Japan last month. |
| 先週は忙しかったです。 | せんしゅうは いそがしかったです。 | Senshuu wa isogashikatta desu. | Last week was busy. |
| 先輩に教えてもらいました。 | せんぱいに おしえて もらいました。 | Senpai ni oshiete moraimashita. | I was taught by my senior. |
| 先ほど着きました。 | さきほど つきました。 | Sakihodo tsukimashita. | I arrived a short while ago. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | How to distinguish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 先 | セン / さき | Before / Ahead | The top horizontal lines are shorter than the bottom legs. |
| 失 | シツ / うしな(う) | Loss / Error | The top is a single horizontal line, and the bottom is a "big" (大) shape. |
| 光 | コウ / ひかり | Light | The top is a dot and a stroke, and the bottom is a "legs" shape. |
Usage Frequency Note
先 is an extremely high-frequency kanji. It appears in daily conversation, news, and business settings. Because it is used in common time-related words (last month, last week) and social titles (sensei, senpai), it is one of the first 100 kanji a learner should master.