Word
前途
Meaning in Englishfuture prospects, outlook, the journey ahead
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
前途 means the future prospects or path that lies ahead for a person, project, or situation. It conveys what may unfold over time, including opportunities, development, and potential challenges.
Main meanings
- Future prospects or outlook for a person, organization, or situation.
- The path forward or trajectory of development in a given endeavor.
- In formal contexts, used to discuss long-term implications, including possibilities and potential difficulties ahead.
How to use it
Used in formal and written Japanese to discuss long-term implications, plans, or career trajectories. It appears in speeches, essays, business reports, and journalism. It is not common in casual everyday speech. Typical contexts include discussions of a person's future prospects, a project's outlook, or societal trends; it often collocates with adjectives describing positive or negative outcomes.
Variants and close terms
- 将来 (shourai) — future, prospects
- 未来 (mirai) — future
- 展望 (tenbou) — outlook, prospects
Composition
- 前 front, ahead; signals the part that lies before you in space or time.
- 途 road, path; used here to express a course or direction.
- Together they form the metaphor of the road ahead, i.e., the future prospects that lie before someone.
Word class
noun (名詞)