前 (Zen) is a Japanese noun prefix meaning “last (i.e. immediately preceding), previous, ex-, former”.
Meanings
- noun prefixlast (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
- noun prefixpre- (e.g. premodern)before the name of an era
- noun suffixbeforeafter a noun
- noun, adverbbefore; earlier
Examples
僕の前を歩きなさい。
Walk ahead of me.
嵐の前の静けさだった。
It was the calm before the storm.
僕は一年前に禁煙した。
I gave up smoking a year ago.
Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).