Tip
Ahead, First, Future
noun, prefix, suffix, の adjective
Everything that happened to you previously is just the tip of the iceberg, and the important stuff is ahead of you, in your future. So make sure you put that stuff first!
The original meaning of this word is the tip of something, like a pen or a finger. From that meaning, it's expanded into all sorts of meanings, like ahead, first, and future, depending on the context and where it is in the sentence. It can also mean "previous" in formal contexts (and we'll accept that meaning too, but we're not teaching it here because it's more advanced).
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it uses the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with the kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:
Just ahead of you are the tips of a saw and a key(さき). You have no idea what they're doing there, but both saws and keys have very sharp tips, so watch out you don't hurt yourself. Imagine yourself edging carefully past those saw and key tips.
You can differentiate this from 先ず (まず) because it doesn't have any hiragana on the end.
先に見る
to see something first, to watch something first
先に出る
to be the first to go
先に立つ
to be the first to stand up, to be the first to leave
その先
ahead of that place
この先
ahead of this place, In the future
あの先
ahead of that place over there
目とはなの先
within a stone's throw, soon
手足の先
the tips of one's fingers and toes
カーブの先
beyond the turn, beyond the bend
先のページ
later pages
先のはなし
a matter for the future
先の人生
the life ahead
ペンの先がつぶれた。
The tip of the pen got crushed.
お先にどうぞ。
Please go first.
この先にレストランがある。
There's a restaurant just ahead of us.
先のことはだれにも分かりません。
Nobody knows what the future holds.