English–Japanese
“later” in Japanese
How to say “later” in Japanese
“Later” in Japanese is 後 (ato). 後 can also mean “after”.
The noun 後 (ato, "later") places an action or event beyond a time boundary, so it can mean either "after" or "later."
Example sentences with 後
学校の後に公園で遊びます。gak kō no ato ni kō en de aso bi ma su
I play at the park after school.
授業の後で、友達と話します。ju gyō no ato de tomo dachi to hana shi ma su
I talk with my friend after class.
Tips for using 後
- 後で (ato de) often appears in conversation when a speaker postpones an action, as in saying that something will happen later rather than now.
Other Japanese words for “later”
詳しいことは後日お知らせします。kuwa shi i ko to wa go jitsu o shi ra se shi ma su
I will let you know the details later.
あとで先生に聞きます。a to de sen sei ni ki ki ma su
I will ask the teacher later.
旅行ののち、写真を整理しました。ryo kō no no chi sha shin o sei ri shi ma shi ta
After the trip, I organized my photos.