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The front part or position of something
前の席に座ってください
Please sit in the front seat
Can refer to physical front or metaphorical 'ahead' in time
Before (in time)
前の週末はどうでしたか
How was last weekend?
Often used to refer to previous time periods
Former (in relationships)
前の彼氏は優しかった
My ex-boyfriend was kind
Used to refer to former partners or positions
前 can mean both 'front' (spatial) and 'before' (temporal). Context usually makes the meaning clear.
When used as a suffix (e.g., 前の), it means 'front' or 'previous'.
From Old Japanese 'ma' (front) + 'e' (noun suffix)
Can be used as a noun, prefix, or suffix depending on context. Often combined with other words to form compounds.