前 Front

Radical Combination

• 丷

  Horns
• 一

  Ground
• 月

  Moon
• 刂

  Knife

Meaning

Primary

Front

Alternative

Before

Mnemonic

There are some horns on the ground and a moon knife in front of you. When you try to move, they always rotate around with you, staying right in front. You can't escape these objects, for some reason.

This kanji means before too. Something that's in front of you is before you, after all.

Hints

Perhaps it's some kind of magic, but you don't care. Why are these strange objects always in front of me? Why won't they stay put? This will get pretty freaky after a while. Try to run. Try to hide. Spin around. Do whatever you need to do. No matter what, these objects are always in front.

Readings

On’yomi

ぜん

Kun’yomi

まえ

Nanori

None

Mnemonic

You're going crazy with these things in front of you all the time. You finally seek the help of a Zen (ぜん) master, who tells you that meditation will save you from this curse. You try it out, and sure enough, the objects are gone! It worked!

Hints

Go ahead and do some Zen Buddhist meditation. Maybe it'll help you to remember this kanji's reading better (and calm your mind so you're ready for the next kanji!).