Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 5
先 ahead, previous
- Meaning
- ahead, previous
- On reading
- セン
- Kun reading
- さき
Memory hook
A foot over a pair of legs: a foot stepping out in front, the one who goes first. セン in compounds, さき on its own. 先生 sensei is literally 'born before'.
Words that use 先
先生
せんせい
teacher
先週
せんしゅう
last week
How to write 先
Stroke order · 6 strokes
1
2
3
4
5
6
- 1. The sweep down to the left.
- 2. The horizontal across the top.
- 3. The vertical through the centre.
- 4. The horizontal across the middle.
- 5. The sweep down to the left.
- 6. Vertical, then turn across to the right, ending in a hook.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
先 is taught on day 21 of the kanji course, alongside 私 生, with two writing passes and a short quiz.