前 (qián) is a Chinese character meaning “front”. It is written from 䒑 (two short strokes above a horizontal line) and 月 (moon; month) and 刂 (knife (side form)), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “front; before”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
䒑 + 月 + 刂
Top–bottom structure
- 䒑 two short strokes above a horizontal line unknown
- 月 moon; month · yuè unknown
- 刂 knife (side form) · dāo unknown
Structure from: ids-decomposition (⿱䒑⿰月刂) + hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验
Memory aid
A lid of two dots and a line (䒑) sits on top; under it a moon shape (月) stands next to an upright knife (刂). The knife cuts a path — you move to the front.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 以前yǐ qiánbefore; previously; in the past前 = qiánHSK 3
- 从前cóng qiánformerly; in the past; once upon a time前 = qián
- 前进qián jìnto advance; to move forward前 = qiánHSK 3
- 目前mù qiánat present; currently前 = qiánHSK 4
- 前途qián túfuture; prospects前 = qián
Go deeper
All readings
front; before
front; in front of; ahead; forward; before; former
位置上指正面的一边；时间上指过去的、较早的；也指向前。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 以前yǐ qiánbefore; previously; in the past前 = qiánHSK 3
- 从前cóng qiánformerly; in the past; once upon a time前 = qián
- 前进qián jìnto advance; to move forward前 = qiánHSK 3
- 目前mù qiánat present; currently前 = qiánHSK 4
- 前途qián túfuture; prospects前 = qián
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 前 mean?
前 (qián) means front; in front of; ahead; forward; before; former.
How do you pronounce 前?
It is pronounced qián.
What parts is 前 made of?
䒑 (two short strokes above a horizontal line) and 月 (moon; month) and 刂 (knife (side form)), one above the other. The recorded source is: ids-decomposition (⿱䒑⿰月刂) + hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 前 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 前?
刀. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 前?
Common ones are 以前, 从前, 前进. The reading of 前 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.