Japanese word

戦前

Pronunciation

Romajisenzen

Meaning

  • nounbefore the war

Example

これは戦前の写真です。ko re wa sen zen no sha shin de su

This is a photo from before the war.

Illustration for 戦前 (before the war)

More examples

祖父は戦前に東京で働いていました。so fu wa sen zen ni tō kyō de hatara i te i ma shi ta

My grandfather worked in Tokyo before the war.

Core concept

戦前 (senzen) describes the time before a particular war and contrasts with the period after that war.

Common phrases

  • 戦前の日本sen zen no nihon

    Japan before the war

  • 戦前の暮らしsen zen no ku ra shi

    life before the war

  • 戦前と戦後sen zen to sen go

    before and after the war

Similar words

開戦前kaisenmae: The time before a war breaks out.

Definition in Japanese

基準となる戦争より前の時期。ki jun to na ru sen sō yo ri mae no ji ki

Word origin

The compound 戦前 (senzen) joins 戦 (sen, "war") with 前 (zen, "before") to express a time before a war.

Usage tips

  • Because 戦前 (senzen) does not name the war, speakers use historical context to show which prewar period they mean.

Opposites

Word lists with this word