How to say "precursor" in Japanese

• 先駆せんくCommon
  noun, suru verb, intransitive verbA forerunner or pioneer: someone or something that goes ahead and opens the way for others. Choose this when 'precursor' implies trailblazing leadership rather than mere precedence.
• 先達せんだつCommon
  nounA person who goes ahead and leads or guides those who follow — a senior figure or pioneer. For 'precursor' as a thing or event that precedes another, this is seldom the word you want.
• 前兆ぜんちょうCommon
  nounAn omen or early sign: choose this when 'precursor' means a warning sign or portent of something about to happen, rather than a forerunner that leads the way.
  この風かぜは嵐あらしの前兆ぜんちょうだ。↗

  This wind is a sign of a storm.
• 前駆ぜんくCommon
  suru verb, no-adjective, intransitive verbA harbinger or herald: something that precedes and announces what is to come. Where 前兆 is the sign itself, 前駆 presents the earlier thing as a forerunner of what follows.

Choose 先駆 for a pioneering forerunner, 先達 for a senior who guides others, 前兆 for an omen or early sign of what is coming, and 前駆 for a harbinger that precedes and announces what follows.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 先駆せんくforerunner
• 先達せんだつleader
• 前兆ぜんちょうomen
• 前兆現象ぜんちょうげんしょうprecursor
• 前駆体ぜんくたい(biochemical) precursor
• 前駆ぜんくharbinger