前 作(ぜんさく)

ぜんさく

noun

previous work; preceding installment; predecessor

1. previous work; preceding installment; predecessor

The work that came immediately before the current one by the same creator or in the same series — the earlier film, novel, game, or album. Used constantly in reviews and promotional writing.

前作(ぜんさく)より面白(おもしろ)い。

It's more interesting than the previous one.

前作(ぜんさく)を見(み)ていなくても楽(たの)しめる映画(えいが)だ。

It's a film you can enjoy even without having seen the previous installment.

この小説(しょうせつ)は前作(ぜんさく)の十年後(じゅうねんご)の世界(せかい)を描(えが)いている。

This novel depicts the world ten years after the previous book.

前(ぜん) (previous) + 作(さく) (work). Always relative to a current work, so it appears where a new release is being compared with what came before.

Common collocations

前作(ぜんさく)に続(つづ)く: to follow on from the previous work
前作(ぜんさく)を超(こ)える: to surpass the previous work
前作(ぜんさく)の続編(ぞくへん): a sequel to the previous work

Similar words

新作(しんさく): new work — the latest release, seen from the other direction
代表作(だいひょうさく): representative work — the piece a creator is best known for
続編(ぞくへん): sequel — the work that follows, not the one that precedes

Related Words

Antonym: 新作(しんさく)

Compare: 代表作(だいひょうさく) (representative work)

Compare: 続編(ぞくへん) (sequel)

Compare: 旧作(きゅうさく) (older work)

general

Added 2026.7.30 3:17 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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