How to say “later” in Chinese
later, afterwards
“Later” in Chinese is 后来, hòu lái: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
后来 is read hòu lái: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
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 “后来”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 后来. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我们以前是同学，后来他去了南方。wǒmenyǐqiánshìtóngxué,hòuláitāqùlenánfāngWe used to be classmates, and later he moved south.
- 最初我不太习惯后来就好了zuìchūwǒbútàixíguàn,hòuláijiùhǎoleAt first I wasn't really used to it, but later it was fine.
- 起初我不习惯这里的气候，后来渐渐适应了。qǐchūwǒbùxíguànzhèlǐdeqìhòu,hòuláijiànjiànshìyìngleAt first I couldn't get used to the climate here, but later I gradually adapted.
More words from the lesson “Earlier and later”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “later” in Chinese?
“Later” in Chinese is 后来, pinyin hòulái.
What does 后来 mean?
后来 (hòulái) means “later, afterwards”.
How do you write 后来?
后来 is 2 characters: 后 (hòu) — behind, after; 来 (lái) — come. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 后来?
后来 is read hòulái. Tones: hòu — fourth tone, lái — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“later” in the lesson “Earlier and later”
This word is from the topic “Seasons and time” of HSK 3. 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.
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