HSK 3.0 Level 1 · Places

前 qián “front” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 前 means

front
forward
ahead
first
top (followed by a number)

More meanings from CC-CEDICT

future

How to say 前

前qián2nd tone, rising

前 in a sentence

他在他的办公桌前。
Tā zài tā de bàngōngzhuō qián.
He’s at his desk.
Sentence #8884151 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
那个饭馆在火车站前面。
Nà ge fànguǎn zài huǒchēzhàn qiánmiàn.
That restaurant is in front of the train station.
Sentence #10966765 from Tatoeba · translation adapted
前 can also mean “ago” or “before”
他一小时前走了。
Tā yì xiǎoshí qián zǒu le.
He left an hour ago.
Sentence #366884 from Tatoeba

How 前 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 前 (qián) with each of its parts in a different colour

前qiánfront

丷eight form of 八 · bā
一one · yī
刖cutting off the feet as a form of punishment · yuè

How to write 前

前 9 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

前 (qián) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it — Stroke order chart for 前 (qián). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 前

Words with 前

前面qiánmiàn · front 以前yǐqián · before 面前miànqián · in front of 前天qiántiān · the day before yesterday 前年qiánnián · the year before last 提前tíqián · to bring forward 之前zhīqián · before 从前cóngqián · previously 目前mùqián · at the present time 前途qiántú · prospects

More words: Places & Getting Around

国guó · country 火车huǒchē · train 那边nàbian · over there 那里nàli · there 书店shūdiàn · bookstore 外边wàibian · outside 这边zhèbiān · this side 这里zhèlǐ · here

FAQs

What does 前 mean in English?

前 (qián) means “front” or “forward”. It is an HSK 3.0 Level 1 word.

How do you pronounce 前?

Say it qián: qián with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.

Is 前 the same in Traditional Chinese?

Yes. 前 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.

How do you type 前 on a keyboard?

Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type qian with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 前 from the suggestions. Typing qian into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.

What HSK level is 前?

前 is an HSK 3.0 Level 1 word in the official 2021 syllabus, and it is on our HSK 3.0 Band 1 word list. It is not on the older HSK 2.0 word lists.

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.