先週
せんしゅう · senshuu · JLPT N5 · noun
week
📅 先週 = previous (先) + week (週): the week that came before
先 means before or ahead, as in 先生 (one born before) and 先月 (last month). 週 means week, as in 今週 (this week) and 来週 (next week). Swap the first kanji to move through time: 先週, 今週, 来週.
先 — 𠂉 (person variant) on top + 儿 (legs) below
先 originally depicted a person with a foot or step shown above the legs 儿, suggesting someone walking ahead. From this image of going before others came the meanings 'first,' 'earlier,' and 'ahead.' The modern shape preserves the 'legs' radical underneath.