---
title: "Qianzhe Meaning: 前者 (qiánzhě) Means “the former”"
description: "前者 (qiánzhě) means “the former”. Hear its tones, see what 前 and 者 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/qianzhe"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 前者 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

前者 qiánzhě

## the former

## Its characters

1. 前 qián former
2. 者 zhě (suffix) -er

## In a sentence

苹果和香蕉，我更喜欢前者。 Between apples and bananas, I prefer the former.

[More about 前者](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%89%8D%E8%80%85)

## More words with 前 or 者

- [此前 cǐqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ciqian)
- [从前 cóngqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/congqian)
- [当前 dāngqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dangqian)
- [读者 dúzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/duzhe)
- [后者 hòuzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/houzhe)
- [患者 huànzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huanzhe)
- [或者 huòzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huozhe)
- [记者 jìzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jizhe)
- [面前 miànqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mianqian)
- [目前 mùqián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/muqian)

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