Meaning of 前方
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ahead
- the front
How to use 前方
前方 is a slightly formal word for the area ahead, common in signs, announcements, news, and navigation apps. It often appears as 前方 + a distance or place. Example: 前方五百米右转。(Qiánfāng wǔbǎi mǐ yòu zhuǎn.) Turn right in 500 meters.
前 (qián) means front or before, and 方 (fāng) means direction or side. Put them together and you get "the front direction," the place ahead of you.
Common mistake: Learners often use 前方 in casual talk where 前边 (qiánbian) or 前面 (qiánmiàn) sounds more natural, like saying where a shop is to a friend. Also keep 方 in first tone (fāng), not neutral tone like in 地方 (dìfang).
前方 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
前 qián · front · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
方 fāng · square · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 前方.
| 地方 | dìfang | region; regional (away from the central administration) |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 前边 | qiánbian | front; the front side |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 方法 | fāngfǎ | method; way; technique; procedure |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 方向 | fāngxiàng | direction; orientation |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 方便 | fāngbiàn | convenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy |
| 南方 | nánfāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of |
| 北方 | běifāng | north; the northern part a country |
| 西方 | xīfāng | the West; the Occident |
Questions about 前方
What does 前方 mean?
前方 (qiánfāng) means "ahead; the front" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 前方?
前方 is made of 2 characters: 前 (9 strokes), 方 (4 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 前方 an HSK word?
Yes. 前方 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 前方 and 面前?
前方 is the general area ahead, often at a distance, like the road ahead. 面前 (miànqián) means right in front of someone's face, as in 在我面前 (zài wǒ miànqián), in front of me.
Does 前方 have a military or abstract meaning?
Yes. 前方 can mean the front line in a war, as opposed to 后方 (hòufāng), the rear. It is also used for the future or the path ahead, as in 前方的路 (qiánfāng de lù), the road ahead.