真っ先
まっさき · massaki · JLPT N2 · noun
foremost
🥇 真 (truly, very) + 先 (ahead, before) = truly out in front: foremost, very first
真 intensifies the word, like 'truly' or 'very'. 先 means ahead or before. Together they mean the very front or the very beginning.
真 — 匕 (spoon) over 目 (eye) over 八 (eight/base)
真 originally depicted a person or vessel used in ritual, conveying the idea of something genuine or true. Over time the form was reanalyzed as components like 匕, 目, and a base, but the core meaning of 'real, true, genuine' has remained stable since early bronze inscriptions.
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.