How to say “late” in Chinese
late
“Late” in Chinese is 迟, chí: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
迟 is read chí. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 辶 “walk”; inside, 尺 chǐ hints at the sound.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “迟”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 迟. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 对不起我迟到了duìbuqǐ,wǒchídàoleSorry, I'm late.
- 你怎么总是迟到nǐzěnmezǒngshìchídàoWhy are you always late?
- 你怎么又迟到了？是不是故意的？nǐzěnmeyòuchídàole,shìbushìgùyìdeWhy are you late again? Was it on purpose?
- 我最讨厌迟到的人wǒzuìtǎoyànchídàoderénWhat I can't stand most is people who are late.
- 明天早上八点见，别迟到。míngtiānzǎoshangbādiǎnjiàn,biéchídàoSee you tomorrow at eight in the morning — don't be late.
- 我今天差点儿迟到。wǒjīntiānchàdiǎnrchídàoI was almost late today.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Almost late”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “late” in Chinese?
“Late” in Chinese is 迟, pinyin chí.
What does 迟 mean?
迟 (chí) means “late”.
How do you write 迟?
迟 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 迟?
迟 is read chí. Tones: chí — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“late” in the lesson “Almost late”
This word is from the topic “On the road: transportation” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free