后

• Pinyin: hòu
• Hanzi breakdown: 后 = simplified from 後; indicates the rear or a later time

Meaning

After; behind; back; later. Indicates position behind or time after.

Used for both spatial (behind) and temporal (after) relationships. Appears in many compounds: 以后 (after, in the future), 后面 (behind), 后来 (afterwards), 然后 (then). The opposite is 前 (front, before).

Examples

1. 吃饭后我们去散步。 After eating, we'll go for a walk.
2. 学校后面有一个公园。 There is a park behind the school.
3. 以后我想当老师。 In the future, I want to be a teacher.

Usage Guide

Context: time, location, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 三点以后我有时间。(I'm free after three o'clock.)
• 请到后面去。(Please go to the back.)

Don't Say

• 后我吃饭。(Wrong word order — 后 comes after the first action: 下课后我吃饭)

Origin & History

The character 后 originally depicted a person walking behind. The simplified form dropped the walking radical from the traditional 後.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal