前～
ぜん～ · zen～ · JLPT N2 · noun
former
前 = front: the thing that was in front of you before is your former
Read zen. It appears in 前任 (zennin, former post holder) and 前社長 (zen-shachō, former president). Whatever stood in front of you earlier is now behind you, so it is the former or past one.
前 — top 丷 + 一 + 月 (moon) + 刂 (knife)
Originally written 歬, depicting a foot 止 above a boat 舟, meaning to advance or go forward. Over time the form evolved and the knife radical 刂 was added, while 止 and 舟 fused into the modern shape. The core meaning 'front, before, ahead' has stayed consistent.