遅れる

• Reading: おくれる
• Romaji: okureru
• Kanji breakdown: 遅 (chi/oku/oso) — slow, late, behind
• Pronunciation: /o.kɯ.ɾe.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To be late; to be delayed; to fall behind. Describes arriving or happening after the expected time.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Takes に for the event being late for (会議に遅れる, late for a meeting). The transitive pair is 遅らせる (to delay something). Used for people, trains, deadlines, and clocks running slow.

Examples

1. 電車が遅れたので授業に間に合わなかった。 The train was delayed, so I didn't make it to class on time.
2. 約束の時間に遅れてすみません。 Sorry for being late to our appointment.
3. この時計は五分遅れています。 This clock is five minutes slow.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, appointments, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the kanji 遅 (slow, late), combining 辶 (road) with 犀 (rhinoceros) — an image of slow movement along a path.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal