Languages › Japanese Meaning of Mae in Japanese Print presence in a crowd. Caiaimage/Martin Barraud / Getty Images Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on April 18, 2018 Mae is a Japanese word that means the front, or presence. Learn more about its meanings and usage in the Japanese language below. Pronunciation Click here to listen to the audio file. Read More What Does the Japanese Word "Mata" Mean? By Namiko Abe Meaning the front; presence; ago; before Japanese Characters 前 (まえ) Example & Translation Sono hanashi wa mae nimo kiita yo!その話は前にも聞いたよ。 or in English: I heard the story before! Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "Meaning of Mae in Japanese." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/mae-meaning-and-characters-2028495. Abe, Namiko. (2020, August 27). Meaning of Mae in Japanese. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/mae-meaning-and-characters-2028495 Abe, Namiko. "Meaning of Mae in Japanese." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/mae-meaning-and-characters-2028495 (accessed April 26, 2024). copy citation