遅延

• Reading: ちえん
• Romaji: chien
• Kanji breakdown: 遅 (chi/oso) — late, slow, behind; 延 (en/no) — extend, stretch, postpone
• Pronunciation: /t͡ɕi.en/

Meaning

Delay; postponement; a disruption causing something to occur later than scheduled. Also used technically for latency in communications or computing systems.

A versatile noun and suru verb used across formal contexts: train delays (電車の遅延), project delays (工事の遅延), and network latency (通信遅延). In announcements and official writing, 遅延が発生しています is the standard phrasing for service disruptions. In IT and engineering, 遅延 carries the specific meaning of latency (e.g., 遅延時間 = latency time). More formal than 遅れ, which is the everyday word for being late.

Examples

1. 大雪の影響で東海道新幹線に最大二時間の遅延が発生した。 Due to heavy snowfall, delays of up to two hours occurred on the Tokaido Shinkansen.
2. プロジェクトの遅延を防ぐため、工程管理を徹底する必要がある。 In order to prevent project delays, thorough process management is essential.
3. 通信の遅延が大きくなると、オンライン会議の音声が乱れる原因となる。 When communication latency increases, it causes audio disturbances in online meetings.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, project management, IT, official announcements

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 遅 (late, slow) + 延 (extend, stretch, defer). The combination conveys the stretching of time beyond the expected limit — a span that should have ended but continues past its boundary.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal