手前
Meanings
in front of oneself; the near side; nearby foreground
Refers to the area nearer the speaker or viewer, especially the foreground or the side closest to oneself.
The person in the foreground of the photo is my older brother.
The seat in front, closer to us, is open.
just before reaching; this side of a place
Used with a destination or landmark to mean a point before you get there: 駅の手前, 橋の手前, 交差点の手前.
Please turn right just before the station.
I stopped the car on this side of the bridge.
one's position; face; appearances; honour
Often used in the pattern Xした手前, meaning that because of one's stated position, promise, or outward appearance, one feels unable to act otherwise.
Having said I would take it on, I cannot very well quit halfway.
For his parents' sake, he kept up a calm appearance.
Limited and somewhat old-fashioned outside set expressions. Often encountered with honorific お in phrases such as お手前拝見, meaning to see someone's skill or performance.
Well then, let's see what you can do.
tea-ceremony procedure; tea-making form
Specialized tea-ceremony use for the prescribed procedure or form of preparing tea. Related to 点前・てまえ, which is a common spelling for this technical sense.
See also: 点前 (てまえ)
In the tea ceremony, the procedure for preparing tea may be called temae.
Humble first-person pronoun. It is old-fashioned and now mainly appears in formal, literary, or set humble expressions such as 手前ども.
Through my own carelessness, I caused you trouble.
We will take responsibility and handle it.
Male second-person pronoun used downward toward an inferior. It sounds rough and old-fashioned; in modern speech a related rough form is often encountered separately, but lists the reading てまえ.
In period dramas, there are scenes where a master says to an apprentice, 'You keep quiet.'
Usage patterns
- 〈場所〉の手前で止まるto stop just before reaching a place
The car stopped just before the intersection.
- 〈動詞〉した手前given that one has already done X (one feels obliged to follow through)
Since I took this on myself, I can't just quit halfway through.
- 手前に〈物〉があるthere is something on the near side / in the foreground
There are flowers in the foreground of the photo.
- お手前を拝見するto watch (and admire) someone's skill or performance
I had the honor of watching the master's skilled performance.