Writing
后来 (hòulái) — how to say "later" in Chinese
后来
Later, afterwards
noun
Character composition
后
after
来
to come
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
木
Tree
#75 · mù · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
后来才知道
hòulái cái zhīdào
only later found out
后来发现
hòulái fāxiàn
later discovered
Examples
他大学学的是经济，但后来从事了 IT 行业。
He studied economics in university, but later entered the IT industry.
我们开始是同学，后来成了朋友。
At first we were classmates, later we became friends.
Mnemonic
[hòulái-] Howie the Llama stumbles upon a magical stone engraved with 后来 "LATER" ⏳. The stone whispers, "After you discover the secret, 来 to the valley." Howie knows that this means exciting adventures will come 后来, afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Later in Chinese Mandarin
"later" in Chinese is 后来 (hòulái).
后来 meaning in English
后来 (hòulái) means "Later, afterwards".
How is 后来 pronounced?
It is pronounced hòulái (written as houlai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "later" in Chinese characters?
It is written 后来: 后 has 6 strokes, 来 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 后来?
后来 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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