お前・御前|おまえomae[0]heiban (flat)

JLPT N3approx.Common
おまいomai
Which spelling to use
お前お前 is the most common written form, using mixed kanji and kana. It is the form beginners should use for this entry’s meanings.
御前御前 is a rarely used variant written entirely in kanji. Learners will seldom need to choose it.
Definitions
  1. pronounyouformerly honorific, now very informal
    お前まえを娘むすめの夫おっとにしよう。↗
    You shall be my daughter's husband.
  2. nounbefore (a god, nobleman, etc.); in front of
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonymお前さんおまえさんCasualSlightly more affectionate or teasing than 「お前」; heard from older speakers and in period dramas, and wives may use it for their husbands. Rare in modern speech.
  • Antonym俺おれCasualA rough male first-person 'I' that often pairs with 「お前」 (「俺とお前」) in casual talk; switch to 「私」 in formal settings.
  • AntonymわしCasualA first-person 'I', not 'you': used mostly by elderly men and in western-Japan dialects. It stands opposite to the second-person 「お前」 as I to you.

Use 「お前」 for a casual 'you' to peers or juniors, but it can offend strangers. 「お前さん」 adds warmth and sounds old-fashioned. 「儂」 and 「俺」 are first-person 'I' — 「俺」 is the rough male counterpart that pairs with 「お前」.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 前まえ・面前めんぜん。
  2. 貴人きじん・住職じゅうしょくなど。
Kanji in this word

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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