This is the 179th most frequent Japanese word.


"先" means "ahead," "previous," "future," or "tip/point," depending on context.


Here, "先" is used to mean 'ahead of' or 'in front of.' It indicates a position.

彼は私の先を歩いていた。

He was walking ahead of me.


In this case, "先" denotes a temporal precedence, meaning 'first' or 'beforehand.'

来週の旅行のことについて先に話し合いましょう。

Let's discuss about next week's trip first.


Here, "先" refers abstractly to the 'future' or 'ahead,' asking if there is a direction or continuation going forward.

このプロジェクトに先はありますか?

Does this project have a future?