Moving Forward 前進
zenshin2 characters20 strokes
前進 (zenshin) means moving forward: going ahead one step at a time, with your eyes on the goal in front of you.
Free practice sheet
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Meaning 意味
What 前進 means
The Japanese word for Moving Forward, written with 2 kanji and read zenshin.
前進 simply means to move forward. It also expresses the spirit of advancing toward a goal, one step after another.
When people write it in Japan. In Japan, 前進 is a popular word for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year, and for goals at the start of a new school term.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 3rd grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 前進
Three things to watch
- In 前, write the two dots and the horizontal line at the top wide, and fit the lower part inside that width.
- Bring the last stroke of 前 straight down and flick up to the left.
- Write the walking radical of 進 (shinnyō) last. Stretch it out slowly to the right, as if the upper part sits on top of it.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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