日
学
夢
本
語
心
Future / Ahead
先
Future / Ahead
Kun-yomi 🇯🇵:
さき (saki)
(Japanese reading)
On-yomi 🇨🇳:
セン (sen)
(Chinese-derived reading)
Previous
Previous

Pronunciation rules

  • さき (saki) is the kun-yomi used when the kanji stands alone meaning "future", "ahead", or "before".
  • セン (sen) is the on-yomi used in compounds like 先月 (せんげつ, sengetsu: last month) and 先輩 (せんぱい, senpai: senior).
  • Etymology: Stop (止) + person (儿) → person who lived before → previous, ancestor
  • Note: 先 can mean both "previous" (in time) and "ahead" (in space), depending on context. In compounds like 先月, it means "previous month", but when used alone as さき, it often means "ahead" or "future".

Examples

Kun-yomiNative Japanese Readings
先 へ いきます。
I go ahead.
Uses kun-yomi さき (saki) when the kanji stands alone meaning future or ahead
On-yomiSino-Japanese Readings
先月 です。
It's last month.
Uses on-yomi セン (sen) in compound 先月
先輩 です。
It's a senior/mentor.
Uses on-yomi セン (sen) in compound 先輩

Quick facts

  • Radical: 儿 (person)
  • Strokes: 6
  • Common compounds: 先月 (せんげつ, sengetsu), 先輩 (せんぱい, senpai)
  • ⚠️ Reading usage:
    • Standalone: さき (saki) - future, ahead
    • In compounds: せん (sen) - previous, before (time context)

Key Words

先 - future, ahead
先月 - last month
先輩 - senior, mentor