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未然 (みぜん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
before it happens ; in advance ; preventive
Used in formal or written contexts to describe actions taken to prevent something from occurring. Often appears in compounds like 未然に防ぐ (prevent before it happens).
だい
が
大おお
きく
なる
前まえ
に
、
未み
然ぜん
に
対たい
処しょ
し
た
。
We dealt with it in advance before the problem grew.
Kanji 然 sort of thing, so, if so Similar words 事じ 前ぜん 事前 is more common and neutral for 'beforehand' or 'prior'; 未然 emphasizes preventing something negative from occurring.
予よ 防ぼう 予防 is 'prevention' in a medical or protective sense; 未然 is broader and often used in formal phrases like 未然防止.
Etymology From 未 (not yet) and 然 (so, like that), literally 'not yet so'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used in formal Japanese to mean 'before it happens'.
