ぜん
Meanings
Noun
1. last (i.e. immediately preceding); previous; ex-; former
2. pre- (e.g. premodern)
before the name of an era
Suffix
3. before
after a noun
Adverb
Noun
Old-fashioned
4. before; earlier
Pitch accent
Top 26900
Used in vocabulary (185 in total)
natural; right; proper; naturally; as a matter of course; rightly
frontmost; a short time ago; a little while ago; just now
continued (from)
future; prospects; outlook; journey ahead; distance yet to cover
front part; fore; front
front and rear; front and back; before and after; around; about; order; context
presence (of a nobleman, the emperor, etc.); outrider (person riding horseback in the lead position of a cavalcade); My Lord; My Lady
before meals
Uzen (former province located in parts of present-day Yamagata Prefecture)
just before; on the verge of; on the brink of; just in front of; just ahead of
one's previous name
prior; beforehand; in advance; before the fact; ex ante
before the gate; in front of the gate
just before
pre-war days; before the war
before the spirit of the deceased
morning session (stock exchange); morning trading
front of center field; front of centre field
last night; the previous night; night before (Christmas, etc.); eve (of festival, major event, etc.)
first term; first half-year; preceding period; early period
previous remarks
front part; frontage; facade; initial pledge (e.g. election); opening slogan
previous time; last time; previous installment; previous instalment; previous session
hors d'oeuvre; appetizer; appetiser; starter
previous generation; former ages
last week; the week before
Rikuzen (former province located in parts of present-day Miyagi and Iwate prefectures)
first half
opening performance; opening act; curtain raiser; minor performer; minor storyteller; subordinate part
advance payment; money paid in advance
front gate
before one's eyes
the former
precedent
the preceding year; the previous year; last year
unprecedented; record-breaking
last century; ancient times
dispensing with the preliminaries ...; omitting the previous part
frontal lobe
where the wind blows
last month; previous month
frontal bone (of the skull)
previous mention; mentioning previously
previous line
antiquity; the previous era
before one's eyes
(weather) front; front line; forward area; action zone
before one's very eyes; under one's nose; imminence; close at hand
forefoot; forefeet; foreleg; forelimb
while alive; during one's lifetime
(in the) presence (of); in front (of); before (someone)
omen; portent; sign; premonition; harbinger; precursor
previous conviction; criminal record; previous offense; previous offence
aforementioned; above-mentioned
front tooth
pre-era; BC; BCE
front row
former king; late king
previous work; preceding work; first crop grown in a double-cropped field; preceding crop
preliminary step; first step
front wheel
former (incumbent); predecessor
before god; before an altar
forward somersault; forward roll
the time before last
aforesaid; above-mentioned; said; above
premodern; old-fashioned; outmoded; antiquated
personal history
ex-wife; former wife; previous wife
aforementioned; above-mentioned; given above; previous
front seat
prior chapter
preceding fiscal year
last position; previous job; predecessor
prelude; overture
preoperative (preparation, diagnosis, etc.)
premarital; prenuptial
previous; former
previous existence
in the face of the enemy; before the enemy
prelude; overture
before sunset
the above sentence; the foregoing remark; preamble (to a statute, constitution, etc.); opening part of a letter (used for season's greetings, asking after someone's health, etc.)
preceding clause; previous paragraph; antecedent (of a ratio)
front room; front parlor; lobby; anterior ventricle
previous volume
two days before; day before yesterday
preceding paragraph; first part
(before a) Buddhist altar; before the Buddha; offering placed on a Buddhist altar; incense money; condolatory offering
Former Han dynasty (China, 206 BCE-9 CE); Western Han dynasty
last night
predecessor; people of former times
previous writing; first of two books; previous letter
prehistoric age
former opinion
foreground; front view
front; forehead
preceding paragraph, section, or verse
front end
same as above; ditto; ibid.
unprecedented in history; unheard-of; epoch-making
before use; pre-service; pre-operational
first half of one's life
(one) before last; two before; two in front (e.g. rows)
previous president (immediately preceding the incumbent); former president
premodern; feudalistic
in front of the customer (guest, visitor, etc.); before the customer
anterograde amnesia
plantain (esp. Asian plantain, Plantago asiatica)
muzzle loading
(one's) previous marriage
ibid.; the above-mentioned publication
forehead
previous engagement; previous promise
prehistory
foreshock
former conduct
one's previous letter; one's last letter
front-line troops
foothills; first range of mountains
former post
car in front; the car ahead; preceding car
preceding issue
the first half-year; first half of the year
two years before
preceding article or entry
prefrontal cortex
preconscious (psychoanalysis)
previous conviction
preprocessing; pretreatment
loan; advance
prior to childbirth
forebrain; prosencephalon
preceding page; anterior pituitary
nonreligious wedding ceremony; civil wedding ceremony
anterior cruciate ligament; ACL
anterior chamber (of the eyes)
town originally built around a Shinto shrine
premenstrual dysphoric disorder; PMDD
premenstrual dysphoric disorder; PMDD
premenstrual syndrome; PMS
(biochemical) precursor
presheaf; anterior layer
aforementioned; previous case; antecedent
wheel tracks left by vehicles that have passed before
plantain seed
porch; portico; colonnaded entranceway; ante-hall
anterior cingulate cortex
one's former post
former crown prince; the late crown prince
front wheel
one's former address
precancerous lesion
frontalis muscle
one's previous doctor
prior to death; during one's lifetime
forward edge of the battle area
former men of wisdom and virtue
preregistration
rhinitis sicca anterior
subcritical nuclear experiment
anterior cingulate gyrus
preequilibrium process
to repeat the mistake of somebody; to make the same mistake as that of ...
vestibular bulb; bulb of the vestibule
preimplantation death
prothoracic gland
precancerous state; premalignant state
Buddha prior to Gautama; Gautama Buddha; Shakyamuni
premating isolation
superior frontal gyrus
inferior frontal gyrus
premenstrual dysphoric disorder; PMDD
appoggiatura
Examples (5 in total)
I had an abortion two years ago.
He came to Japan two years ago.
She was a Smith before her marriage.