先
セン, さき, ま.ず, ぽん

before, ahead, previous, future, precedence

JLPT5 G1 S6 F173

The relevant seal inscription form combines 儿# person + 之 (forward motion) → advance in small increments, the feet in close adherence → *go ahead*; *advance* → *tip*; *previous*; *the late*; *ancestor*; *first of all*; *prior*; *the future*.

[Full Kanji Etymology List]