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后hòuafter; afterwards; later

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

后 (hòu) means "after" or "later," as in 吃饭后 (after eating) and 三天后 (three days later). It also means "back" or "behind," as in 往后看 (look back). This entry covers these two senses of the word 后, each shown with its own examples below.

What does 后 mean?

  1. 1.

    after; afterwards; laternoun

  2. 2.

    back; behindnoun

What does the character 后 mean?

  • 后after; afterwards; later

How do you use 后?

See it in 吃饭后, 三天后 and 往后看.

Patterns

  • time length + 后

    三天后他回来了。

    Sān tiān hòu tā huílái le.

    Three days later he came back.

  • 往后 + verb

    往后看。

    Wǎng hòu kàn.

    Look back.

What are some examples of 后 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    吃饭后我去学校。

    Chī fàn hòu wǒ qù xuéxiào.

    After eating I go to school.

  2. HSK 2

    三天后他回来了。

    Sān tiān hòu tā huílái le.

    Three days later he came back.

  3. HSK 2

    往后看。

    Wǎng hòu kàn.

    Look back.

How is 后 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你什么时候回来？

    Nǐ shénme shíhou huílái?

    When are you coming back?

  2. Speaker B:

    三天后。

    Sān tiān hòu.

    Three days later.

  3. Speaker A:

    我的车在哪儿？

    Wǒ de chē zài nǎr?

    Where is my car?

  4. Speaker B:

    往后看，就在那儿。

    Wǎng hòu kàn, jiù zài nàr.

    Look back, it's right there.

Can you use 后 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 三天___他回来了。 (Three days later he came back.)
  2. 2.What does 往后看。 mean?
  3. 3.What does 吃饭后 mean?

What should you learn next?

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.