How to write 前 (qián, “front”)
前 (qián), an HSK 1 character, means “front”, “forward” and “ahead”. As a top-bottom character it splits into 丷一, strokes 1–3; 刖 (“to amputate one or both feet”), strokes 4–9, written the top first. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 前面 (“ahead”), 以前 (“before”) and 前天 (“the day before yesterday”). Japanese reads it zen, “in front”, as a JLPT N5 kanji.
- Pinyin
- qián
- Strokes
- 9
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 刂 (“knife”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Left-falling stroke ㇒top rightdown and right → down and left
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
- Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆leftrightwards → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑centerdownwards
- Vertical hook ㇚top rightdownwards → up and left
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 9 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Trace it
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Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| qián second tone | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number) | — | 前面 以前 前天 前年 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 264 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 前
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 前 | qián | front; forward HSK 1 |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | ahead; in front HSK 2 |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly HSK 3 |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday HSK 3 |
| 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last HSK 3 |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing HSK 3 |
| 前后 前後 | qiánhòu | around; from beginning to end HSK 4 |
| 眼前 | yǎnqián | before one's eyes; now HSK 4 |
| 前方 | qiánfāng | ahead; the front HSK 4 |
| 提前 | tíqián | to shift to an earlier date; to do sth ahead of time HSK 4 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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HSK 1, in list order: