先人(せんじん)

Compound of 先(せん) ('earlier; before') and 人(じん) ('person'). Pattern 先(せん)-: 先輩(せんぱい) ('senior'), 先祖(せんぞ) ('ancestor'), 先生(せんせい) ('teacher').

Usage

• Usually collective and abstract: 'people of earlier times' in general, not one specific predecessor. For a specific named predecessor in a role, use 前任者(ぜんにんしゃ) or 先代(せんだい).
• Carries a respectful tone and belongs to formal written and spoken registers (speeches, essays, academic prose). Rare in casual conversation.
• Commonly followed by たち for a plural sense: 先人(せんじん)たち.

Common collocations

• 先人(せんじん)の知恵(ちえ): the wisdom of our forebears
• 先人(せんじん)の教(おし)え: the teachings of those before us
• 先人(せんじん)の努力(どりょく): the efforts of predecessors
• 先人(せんじん)の業績(ぎょうせき): the achievements of predecessors
• 先人(せんじん)に学(まな)ぶ: to learn from those who came before
• 先人(せんじん)の足跡(あしあと)をたどる: to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors

Similar words

• 先輩(せんぱい): senior (same school, company, field) — a living, often personal relationship.
• 先祖(せんぞ): ancestor — one's own family/lineage forebears.
• 先駆者(せんくしゃ): pioneer — emphasizes being first in a new field.
• 前任者(ぜんにんしゃ): one's immediate predecessor in a specific role.
• 先代(せんだい): the previous generation (of a head of household, shop owner, etc.).
• 後人(こうじん) / 後世(こうせい)の人(ひと): those who come after; future generations.