()

prefix
pre-; already-; existing-
1. pre-; already-; existing-
A formal Sino-Japanese prefix marking that something has already occurred or is already in place. Common in administrative, legal, and academic writing.
()(こん)(しゃ)()けのアンケートです。
This survey is for married people.
()(そん)のシステムを活用(かつよう)したい。
I want to make use of the existing system.
()発表(はっぴょう)論文(ろんぶん)審査(しんさ)対象外(たいしょうがい)です。
Already-published papers are excluded from review.

Bound prefix, never used standalone. Marks a state as already established or completed.

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

  • ()(こん): married (already wed)
  • ()(そん): existing; pre-existing
  • ()(せい): ready-made; established
  • ()(): known; already-known
  • ()(おう)(れき): medical history (literally 'already-past history')

SIMILAR PREFIXES:

  • ()〜: not yet; un- — the direct antonym (()(こん) unmarried, ()() unknown)
  • (きゅう)〜: former; old- — focuses on what something used to be, not on completion