前ぜん兆ちょう

ぜ

ん

ちょ

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Refers to a phenomenon or event that foreshadows something, often something significant or ominous. Used in both everyday and literary contexts.

地じ震しんの前ぜん兆ちょうとして、井い戸どの水みずが濁にごることがある。
As a precursor to earthquakes, well water sometimes becomes muddy.
彼かれの突とつ然ぜんの沈ちん黙もくは、何なにか悪わるい知しらせの前ぜん兆ちょうだった。
His sudden silence was an omen of some bad news.

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Usage patterns

前ぜん兆ちょうが現あらわれるa sign/omen appears
大だい地じ震しんの前ぜん兆ちょうが現あらわれたと言いわれている。
It is said that signs of the big earthquake appeared beforehand.
前ぜん兆ちょうを感かんじるto sense an omen
何なにか悪わるいことが起おこる前ぜん兆ちょうを感かんじた。
I sensed an omen that something bad was about to happen.
〈事こと〉の前ぜん兆ちょうa sign of ~
頭ず痛つうは病びょう気きの前ぜん兆ちょうかもしれない。
A headache might be a sign of illness.
前ぜん兆ちょうがあるthere is a sign/warning
噴ふん火かには必かならず前ぜん兆ちょうがあるという。
They say there are always warning signs before a volcanic eruption.

Kanji

前in front, before
兆portent, 10**12, trillion
徴indications, sign, omen

Related words· 7

予よ兆ちょう
前兆 is the everyday word for an omen or warning sign of something (often ominous), while 予兆 is used in more formal or technical contexts such as medical symptoms or economic indicators.
兆きざしN1
前兆 emphasizes a warning of a coming (often bad) event, while 兆し is a softer native word often used for the first signs of something positive, like spring or recovery.
兆ちょう候こうN1
前兆 is the common word for an ominous sign of a future event, while 徴候 is a more clinical term often used for symptoms or measurable indicators.
フラグ
フラグ is internet slang for a hint of a future event in stories, games, or real life, while 前兆 is the standard, more formal word for an omen or sign that something is about to happen.

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前まえ触ぶれN1
前兆 specifically describes an abnormal or ominous sign preceding an event, while 前触れ covers both such signs and deliberate advance notice.
兆ちょうN1
前兆 specifically means a preceding sign or warning symptom, and is one of the common compounds that carry 兆's sign/omen sense.
知しらせN3
前兆 is a more formal, literary term for an omen or portent, while 知らせ in this sense is used more casually, often of personal premonitions.

Word family

前ぜん兆ちょう現げん象しょう
precursor phenomenon; premonitory sign; advance warning

Written forms

前ぜん兆ちょうUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news and common usage.
前ぜん徴ちょう
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

Compound of 前 (before) and 兆 (omen, sign). The kanji 兆 originally depicts cracks on a heated tortoise shell used in ancient Chinese divination, symbolizing an omen.