眼前(がんぜん)

がんぜん
noun
before one's eyes; right in front of one
1. before one's eyes; right in front of one
Directly in one's field of vision; something that is immediately visible or present.
眼前(がんぜん)に海(うみ)が広(ひろ)がっている。
The ocean stretches out before one's eyes.
眼前(がんぜん)の危機(きき)に対処(たいしょ)しなければならない。
We must deal with the crisis right before us.
眼前(がんぜん)に広(ひろ)がる雄大(ゆうだい)な景色(けしき)に息(いき)を呑(の)んだ。
I was breathless at the magnificent scenery spreading before my eyes.

A literary and formal word composed of 眼(がん) (eye) and 前(ぜん) (before/front). Often used in descriptive writing and formal speech. Has both a literal sense (physically in front of one's eyes) and a figurative sense (the immediate situation one faces).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 眼前(がんぜん)に広(ひろ)がる: to spread out before one's eyes
  • 眼前(がんぜん)の課題(かだい): the challenge right before us
  • 眼前(がんぜん)に迫(せま)る: to press close before one's eyes

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 目(め)の前(まえ): in front of one's eyes — the everyday equivalent
  • 面前(めんぜん): in one's presence — emphasizes being in front of a person, often implying social context
  • 直前(ちょくぜん): immediately before — temporal rather than spatial (just before something happens)
general
Added 2026.3.30 3:14
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