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前代 (ぜんだい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

前ぜん代だい

ぜ

ん

だ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

previous generation; former ages

Refers to people or eras that came before the current one, often in historical or comparative contexts.

前ぜん代だいの技ぎ術じゅつを現げん代だいに活いかす。
We apply the technology of previous generations to the present day.
前ぜん代だい未み聞もんの事じ件けんが起おきた。
An unprecedented incident occurred.

Kanji

前in front, before
代substitute, change, convert

Similar words

先せん代だい
先代 usually refers to the immediate predecessor (e.g., previous head of a family or business), while 前代 is broader, covering any past generation or era.
前ぜん世せい紀き
前世紀 specifically means 'previous century', whereas 前代 can refer to any earlier age or generation.

Etymology

Compound of 前 (before, previous) and 代 (generation, era). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word has been used in Japanese to refer to past generations or ages.