Meaning of 后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- back
- behind
- rear
- afterwards
- after
- later
- post-
- empress
- queen
- (archaic) monarch
- ruler
- surname Hou
How to use 后
后 (hòu) is one of the most common words for time and position, meaning after, later, or behind. It often follows a time word or verb, as in 下课后 (xiàkè hòu, after class), and it appears in everyday words like 以后 (yǐhòu) and 然后 (ránhòu). Example: 我吃饭后去学校。(Wǒ chīfàn hòu qù xuéxiào.) I go to school after eating.
Picture 后 (hòu) as a person bending over with a mouth 口 tucked at the bottom, calling out from the back of the line. The mouth sits behind and below, so think of 后 as the one who comes after.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 后 (hòu) with 右 (yòu, right) or 石 (shí, stone) because of the 口 at the bottom, but 后 starts with a short slanted stroke on top and a long sweeping left stroke. Another trap is word order: say 吃饭以后 (chīfàn yǐhòu), not 以后吃饭, when you mean after eating, since 以后吃饭 means eat later.
后 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 后.
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 后边 | hòubian | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 今后 | jīnhòu | hereafter; henceforth |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 背后 | bèihòu | behind; at the back |
| 后果 | hòuguǒ | consequences; aftermath |
| 落后 | luòhòu | to fall behind; to lag (in technology etc) |
| 前后 | qiánhòu | around; from beginning to end |
Questions about 后
What does 后 mean?
后 (hòu) means "back; behind" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 后?
后 is made of 1 character: 后 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 后 an HSK word?
Yes. 后 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 后 is written 後.
What is the difference between 以后 (yǐhòu) and 后来 (hòulái)?
以后 can refer to the past or the future and can follow a verb, as in 毕业以后 (after graduating). 后来 only talks about the past and stands alone, as in 后来他走了 (later he left).
Why does 后 also mean empress or queen?
后 has a separate older sense of ruler or the emperor's wife, seen in words like 皇后 (huánghòu, empress). In simplified Chinese this sense and the meaning back or after share the same character, while traditional writing uses 後 only for the after meaning.