前
부수: 刂
획수: 9획
前 has the meanings in front of and before.
前 = 
+ 刂
X = distortion + semantic
Caution: The interpretation of 前 is largely unclear.
• 
was originally 歬. See below.
• 刂 is a component form of 刀. It depicts a knife and represents the meaning ‘to cut’.
Evolution:
前 = to cut ➔ borrowed use ➔ in front of ➔ before
Mnemonic
Since the interpretation and meaning of 前 is largely unclear, brute force memorisation is recommended.
Alternatively, although this is an incorrect interpretation, consider 前 as 䒑 (vegetation) + 月 (moon) + 刀(刂) (to cut). Imagine a farmer harvesting corn 䒑 with a sickle 刀(刂) he needs to finish before the moon 月 comes up.
Vocab
| 前方 | 전방 | front direction |
| 前景 | 전경 | scene; the front view |
| 面前 | 면전 | someone’s presence |
| 目前 | 목전 | before one’s eyes; immediate |
| 前線 | 전선 | front (weather) |
| 前哨 | 전초 | outpost (military) |
| 前進 | 전진 | advance; improvement |
| 午前 | 오전 | morning; a.m. |
| 前後 | 전후 | before and after; about when |
| 前날 | 전날 | previous day |
| 前例 | 전례 | precedence; previous example |
| 以前 | 이전 | previous; former |
| 從前 | 종전 | previous; former |
| 前科 | 전과 | criminal record |
| 事前 | 사전 | beforehand; in advance |
| 直前 | 직전 | on the verge of change |
| 前提 | 전제 | premise; precondition |
| 前生 | 전생 | previous life |
| 生前 | 생전 | one’s lifetime |
| 如前히 | 여전히 | just as before; still |
| 紀元前 | 기원전 | B.C. |
| 前置詞 | 전치사 | preposition |
Additional notes
Although this may be incorrect, one interpretation of 前 is as follows:
When 歬 is combined with 刀, the meaning becomes ‘to divide the progression of location/time’. Here we see how 前 serves as a ‘checkpoint’ for moving forward from an event. Thus 前 becomes associated with meanings of ‘front’. As 前 serves as a ‘checkpoint of time’, an extended meaning of ‘before’ can easily arise.
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Bibliography
Affiliate links help support uK.
— Daum 사전, [s.v. 前].
— Grant, B.K. (1982). A Guide To Korean Characters: Reading and Writing Hangul and Hanja, [s.v. 581]. Seoul: Hollym.
— Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters, [s.v. 前, 刂].
— Seely, C., Henshall, K.G., & Fan, J. (2016). The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji: Remembering and Understanding the 2,136 Standard Japanese Characters, [s.v. 177]. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing.