For autodidact students of Japanese, "after" is the first word that has to be turned inside out. English puts "after" in front of what it governs: after dinner, after the lesson, after he left. Japanese puts the word at the back, and it does not use a preposition at all. This lesson teaches 後 (ato), the noun for "the time after, what comes after," which stands behind the event it follows: 食事の後 (shokuji no ato: after the meal), 授業が終わった後 (jugyō ga owatta ato: after the lesson ended). Where English says "after + event," Japanese says "event + 後."
The vocabulary list gives this headword as a preposition of Time, with the notes "sequence" and "following." In Japanese the idea is carried by a noun, so the grammar is the grammar of nouns: a noun before it takes の (雨の後, after the rain), a verb clause before it stands in the plain past (食べた後, after eating), and a particle after it says how the "after" is used (後で, 後に, 後は, 後から). The same word, as a counter's ending, says "later": 三日後 (mikka-go: three days later).
A learner should know from the first day what 後 is not: - 後ろ (ushiro): behind, the rear. Lesson 55 was about it. 後ろ is a place; 後 is a time. 教室の後ろ is the back of the classroom, 授業の後 is the time after the class. - 前 (mae): before, in front. The opposite of 後 in both time and place: 食事の前に (before the meal) and 食事の後で (after the meal). - あと五分 (ato gofun): "five more minutes." The same word 後 in the sense of "remaining," taught in Lesson 55 as a neighbour. It is not what this lesson is about. - 跡 (ato): a trace or mark, as in 足跡 (ashiato, footprint). It is another character with the same sound.
The usage guides that were checked agree on the core. あと is the everyday word, and it can refer to a time soon after, whether the point of reference is an event or the present moment: 「あとで電話します」 is "I'll call later," counted from now. のち is its formal, written counterpart: it suggests a longer interval, and it is used only for a time after an event, not after the moment of speaking, except in fixed forms such as のちほど. The same character is read あと, のち, ご and こう, and the reading must be learnt with the word.
Key Takeaways: - 後 (ato): "after, afterward, later." A noun that follows what it is after - Noun + の + 後: 授業の後 (after class). Verb in the plain past + 後: 食べた後 (after eating) - 後で (ato de): "afterward, later" when it stands alone, or "after X" when it follows X. 後に, 後は, 後から are the other common frames - Counter + 後 (read go): 三日後 (three days later), 一時間後 (an hour later). The mirror is 前: 三日前 (three days ago) - 前に takes the dictionary form (食べる前に), 後で takes the plain past (食べた後で): never the reverse - Fixed forms: その後 (sono ato: after that, since then), 後になって (ato ni natte: later on, after the event), 後ほど (nochihodo: a little later; formal) - Compounds read ご: 食後 (shokugo), 午後 (gogo), 放課後 (hōkago), 卒業後 (sotsugyō-go), 今後 (kongo) - V-た後で and V-てから are close: てから stresses that the first act is the necessary start, 後で simply gives the order - 後 is never a place: "behind the car" is 車の後ろ, never 車の後
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
後 is a single kanji (U+5F8C) of nine strokes, with the radical 彳 (the "step" radical, on the left). It is the same character that is in 後ろ (ushiro) in Lesson 55. In the word of this lesson it is often written with no okurigana at all: 後 stands for あと. The word is also written in hiragana, あと, and this is common, especially in the adverb あとで and the fixed forms such as そのあと. Both are right. Do not add a ろ: 後ろ is another word.
The kanji has four readings that matter, and the reading follows the word: - あと (ato): the everyday noun. 後で (ato de), 食事の後 (shokuji no ato), その後 (sono ato), 後から (ato kara) - のち (nochi): the written, formal reading. 晴れのち曇り (hare nochi kumori: clear, then cloudy), 後ほど (nochihodo: a little later) - ご (go): in compounds, and after a number or counter. 食後 (shokugo), 午後 (gogo), 放課後 (hōkago), 三日後 (mikka-go), 今後 (kongo: from now on), 以後 (igo: from then on), 最後 (saigo: the last) - こう (kō): in some Sino-Japanese words. 後半 (kōhan: the second half), 後悔 (kōkai: regret)
There is one irregular reading to learn whole: 明後日 (asatte), "the day after tomorrow." Its sounds cannot be taken character by character from 明 and 後.
With a number, the counter takes its own sound-changes, and 後 is added to it with no particle: 三日 (mikka) + 後 (go) = 三日後 (mikka-go), 一時間 (ichijikan) + 後 = 一時間後 (ichijikan-go), 五分 (gofun) + 後 = 五分後 (gofun-go). The sound-changes belong to the counter, and 後 is always go.
Romanization is Hepburn, as in the rest of the course: は is wa, を is wo, particle へ is e, and the long vowels are marked with macrons (Tōkyō, sotsugyō). The other words with kanji in this lesson are 授業 (jugyō, lesson), 食事 (shokuji, meal), 歯 (ha, tooth), 薬 (kusuri, medicine), 雨 (ame, rain), 先生 (sensei, teacher), 質問 (shitsumon, question), 宿題 (shukudai, homework), 友達 (tomodachi, friend), 連絡 (renraku, contact), 映画 (eiga, film), 卒業 (sotsugyō, graduation), 東京 (Tōkyō), 働く (hataraku, to work), 自分 (jibun, oneself), 間違う (machigau, to be wrong), 空 (sora, sky), 仕事 (shigoto, work), 予定 (yotei, plan), 歯医者 (haisha, dentist), 治療 (chiryō, treatment), 駅 (eki, station), 散歩 (sanpo, walk) and 送る (okuru, to see off).
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
56.1a 後で later 電話 telephone します do-POLITE
56.1b ato de (ah-toh deh) later denwa (dehn-wah) telephone shimasu (shee-mahss) do-POLITE
56.2a 授業 lesson の GEN 後 after です COP.POLITE
56.2b jugyō (joo-gyoh) lesson no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
56.3a 食事 meal の GEN 後 after で TIME 歯 tooth を OBJ 磨きます brush-POLITE
56.3b shokuji (shoh-koo-jee) meal no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME ha (hah) tooth wo (oh) OBJ migakimasu (mee-gah-kee-mahss) brush-POLITE
56.4a 三日 three-days 後 after に TIME 会いましょう meet-VOL.POLITE
56.4b mikka (meek-kah) three-days go (goh) after ni (nee) TIME aimashō (ah-ee-mah-shoh) meet-VOL.POLITE
56.5a 食後 after-meal に TIME 薬 medicine を OBJ 飲んで drink-TE ください give-me-PLEASE
56.5b shokugo (shoh-koo-goh) after-meal ni (nee) TIME kusuri (koo-soo-ree) medicine wo (oh) OBJ nonde (nohn-deh) drink-TE kudasai (koo-dah-sah-ee) give-me-PLEASE
56.6a 雨 rain の GEN 後 after は TOP 涼しい cool です COP.POLITE
56.6b ame (ah-meh) rain no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP suzushii (soo-zoo-shee-ee) cool desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
56.7a 食べた eat-PAST 後 after で TIME すぐ at-once 寝ないで sleep-NEG-TE ください give-me-PLEASE
56.7b tabeta (tah-beh-tah) eat-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME sugu (soo-goo) at-once nenaide (neh-nah-ee-deh) sleep-NEG-TE kudasai (koo-dah-sah-ee) give-me-PLEASE
56.8a 授業 lesson が SUBJ 終わった end-PAST 後 after で TIME 先生 teacher に DAT 質問 question しました do-PAST.POLITE
56.8b jugyō (joo-gyoh) lesson ga (gah) SUBJ owatta (oh-waht-tah) end-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME sensei (sehn-seh-ee) teacher ni (nee) DAT shitsumon (sheet-soo-mohn) question shimashita (shee-mahsh-tah) do-PAST.POLITE
56.9a 友達 friend が SUBJ 後 after から from 来ます come-POLITE
56.9b tomodachi (toh-moh-dah-chee) friend ga (gah) SUBJ ato (ah-toh) after kara (kah-rah) from kimasu (kee-mahss) come-POLITE
56.10a 宿題 homework を OBJ した do-PAST 後 after で TIME 友達 friend と WITH 遊びます play-POLITE
56.10b shukudai (shoo-koo-dah-ee) homework wo (oh) OBJ shita (shee-tah) do-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME tomodachi (toh-moh-dah-chee) friend to (toh) WITH asobimasu (ah-soh-bee-mahss) play-POLITE
56.11a その that 後 after 彼 he から from は TOP 何 what の GEN 連絡 contact も ANY ありません exist-NEG.POLITE
56.11b sono (soh-noh) that ato (ah-toh) after kare (kah-reh) he kara (kah-rah) from wa (wah) TOP nan (nahn) what no (noh) GEN renraku (rehn-rah-koo) contact mo (moh) ANY arimasen (ah-ree-mah-sehn) exist-NEG.POLITE
56.12a 映画 film が SUBJ 終わった end-PAST 後 after に TIME みんな everyone で INST 食事 meal に PURP 行きました go-PAST.POLITE
56.12b eiga (eh-ee-gah) film ga (gah) SUBJ owatta (oh-waht-tah) end-PAST ato (ah-toh) after ni (nee) TIME minna (meen-nah) everyone de (deh) INST shokuji (shoh-koo-jee) meal ni (nee) PURP ikimashita (ee-kee-mahsh-tah) go-PAST.POLITE
56.13a 卒業 graduation した do-PAST 後 after は TOP 東京 Tokyo で LOC 働く work-PLAIN つもり intention です COP.POLITE
56.13b sotsugyō (soh-tsoo-gyoh) graduation shita (shee-tah) do-PAST ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP Tōkyō (toh-kyoh) Tokyo de (deh) LOC hataraku (hah-tah-rah-koo) work-PLAIN tsumori (tsoo-moh-ree) intention desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
56.14a 後 after に TO なって become-TE 自分 self が SUBJ 間違って be-wrong-TE いた be-PAST こと fact に DAT 気 attention が SUBJ つきました attach-PAST.POLITE
56.14b ato (ah-toh) after ni (nee) TO natte (naht-teh) become-TE jibun (jee-boon) self ga (gah) SUBJ machigatte (mah-chee-gaht-teh) be-wrong-TE ita (ee-tah) be-PAST koto (koh-toh) fact ni (nee) DAT ki (kee) attention ga (gah) SUBJ tsukimashita (tsoo-kee-mahsh-tah) attach-PAST.POLITE
56.15a 雨 rain が SUBJ 上がった stop-PAST 後 after の GEN 空 sky は TOP 洗った wash-PAST ように like 青かった blue-PAST
56.15b ame (ah-meh) rain ga (gah) SUBJ agatta (ah-gaht-tah) stop-PAST ato (ah-toh) after no (noh) GEN sora (soh-rah) sky wa (wah) TOP aratta (ah-raht-tah) wash-PAST yō ni (yoh nee) like aokatta (ah-oh-kaht-tah) blue-PAST
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
56.1 後で電話します。(Ato de denwa shimasu.) "I'll call you later." 56.2 授業の後です。(Jugyō no ato desu.) "It's after class." 56.3 食事の後で歯を磨きます。(Shokuji no ato de ha wo migakimasu.) "I brush my teeth after a meal." 56.4 三日後に会いましょう。(Mikka-go ni aimashō.) "Let's meet in three days' time." 56.5 食後に薬を飲んでください。(Shokugo ni kusuri wo nonde kudasai.) "Please take the medicine after meals." 56.6 雨の後は涼しいです。(Ame no ato wa suzushii desu.) "After rain it is cool." 56.7 食べた後で、すぐ寝ないでください。(Tabeta ato de, sugu nenaide kudasai.) "Please don't go to sleep right after eating." 56.8 授業が終わった後で、先生に質問しました。(Jugyō ga owatta ato de, sensei ni shitsumon shimashita.) "After the lesson was over, I asked the teacher a question." 56.9 友達が後から来ます。(Tomodachi ga ato kara kimasu.) "My friend will come along afterwards." 56.10 宿題をした後で、友達と遊びます。(Shukudai wo shita ato de, tomodachi to asobimasu.) "After I do my homework, I play with my friends." 56.11 その後、彼からは何の連絡もありません。(Sono ato, kare kara wa nan no renraku mo arimasen.) "Since then there has been no word from him." 56.12 映画が終わった後に、みんなで食事に行きました。(Eiga ga owatta ato ni, minna de shokuji ni ikimashita.) "After the film ended, we all went out for a meal." 56.13 卒業した後は、東京で働くつもりです。(Sotsugyō shita ato wa, Tōkyō de hataraku tsumori desu.) "After I graduate, I intend to work in Tokyo." 56.14 後になって、自分が間違っていたことに気がつきました。(Ato ni natte, jibun ga machigatte ita koto ni ki ga tsukimashita.) "Only later did I realise that I had been wrong." 56.15 雨が上がった後の空は、洗ったように青かった。(Ame ga agatta ato no sora wa, aratta yō ni aokatta.) "The sky after the rain had stopped was blue, as if it had been washed."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
56.1 後で電話します。 56.2 授業の後です。 56.3 食事の後で歯を磨きます。 56.4 三日後に会いましょう。 56.5 食後に薬を飲んでください。 56.6 雨の後は涼しいです。 56.7 食べた後で、すぐ寝ないでください。 56.8 授業が終わった後で、先生に質問しました。 56.9 友達が後から来ます。 56.10 宿題をした後で、友達と遊びます。 56.11 その後、彼からは何の連絡もありません。 56.12 映画が終わった後に、みんなで食事に行きました。 56.13 卒業した後は、東京で働くつもりです。 56.14 後になって、自分が間違っていたことに気がつきました。 56.15 雨が上がった後の空は、洗ったように青かった。
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for 後 (ato), "after."
The form of 後. It is a noun and has no forms: it does not conjugate and has no plural. Everything in this section is about what stands before it (a noun, a counter or a verb clause) and what stands after it (the particles). Japanese has no preposition "after"; 後 is the noun "the time after," and what it follows is joined to it exactly as any noun is joined to the thing that describes it.
Noun + の + 後 (56.2, 56.3, 56.6, 56.15). A noun before 後 is joined to it with の: 授業の後 (the time after the lesson), 食事の後 (the time after the meal), 雨の後 (the time after the rain). The word の makes the first noun describe the second, and the whole phrase is a time. English would say "after the lesson"; Japanese says, word for word, "the lesson's after."
Verb + 後 (56.7, 56.8, 56.10, 56.12, 56.13). A clause before 後 puts its verb in the plain past: 食べた後 (after eating), 授業が終わった後 (after the lesson ended), 宿題をした後 (after doing the homework). The plain past here does not say that the whole sentence is in the past. It says that the first act has been completed by the time of the second, so that 56.10 (宿題をした後で、友達と遊びます) looks forward, and 56.8 (…質問しました) looks back, with the same た in both. The tense of the sentence is decided by the last verb. The subject of the clause is marked with が (授業が終わった後), as in any relative clause.
The mirror, 前: the form is different. 前 (mae) takes the dictionary form: 食べる前に (before eating), but 食べた後で (after eating). This is the commonest mistake of English speakers, who expect the same shape for both. The noun form is parallel: 食事の前に, 食事の後で.
The particles after 後 (56.1, 56.3, 56.6, 56.9, 56.12, 56.13). - 後で (ato de): "afterward, after X." Alone, as in 56.1, 後で is an adverb: "later" (see "Standing alone" below). After a noun or clause it means "after X, then..." and the second event follows the first - 後に (ato ni): "after X" as a point in time. In 56.4 and 56.5 に is the に of time that marks when something happens, and in 56.12 it is the same after a clause. In sentences such as 56.12 the sense of に and で is close, and a learner can use 後で safely until the finer difference is felt - 後は (ato wa): は makes the "after" the topic and sets it against the rest: 卒業した後は… (56.13) says "as for after graduation," against the time before it - 後から (ato kara): "afterwards, later, coming after." In 56.9 it means that the friend will arrive after the speaker. から keeps its sense of a starting point: from that moment on - 後の + noun (56.15): の after 後 joins it to a noun, so that "after the rain" describes the sky. 雨が上がった後の空 is "the sky of after-the-rain-had-stopped"
Counter + 後 (56.4). After a number and counter, 後 is read go and means "later, from now, after that much time": 三日後 (mikka-go: three days later), 一時間後 (ichijikan-go: an hour later), 五分後 (gofun-go: five minutes later), 二週間後 (nishūkan-go: two weeks later), 三か月後 (sankagetsu-go: three months later), 十年後 (jūnen-go: ten years later). There is no の between the counter and 後. The point from which one counts is the moment of speaking, or a moment in the story. The mirror is 前: 三日前 (mikka-mae) is "three days ago." The time particle に may follow, as in 56.4, 三日後に会いましょう, and it is often left out in speech.
Standing alone (56.1, 56.14). Without a preceding noun, 後 means "later, afterwards." 後で (ato de) is the spoken word: 後で電話します (56.1), 「では、また後で」 (see you later). 後になって (ato ni natte) is "later on, when the event is over": the thing is understood only afterwards, as in 56.14. The same phrase is the idiom for hindsight. その後 (sono ato: after that) is the narrative link, used when a story goes on (56.11): その後、彼からは何の連絡もありません, "since then there has been no word from him." 何の連絡も…ありません is "not any contact at all": 何の + noun + も with a negative.
Compounds in ご (56.5, 56.4). Sino-Japanese words are often joined to 後 with no の and read go: 食後 (shokugo: after a meal), 卒業後 (sotsugyō-go: after graduation), 放課後 (hōkago: after school), 午後 (gogo: afternoon), 今後 (kongo: from now on), 以後 (igo: from then on). Many have a pair with 前 (食前 shokuzen, 午前 gozen). A noun such as 食事 can also be joined to 後 without の, as 食事後 (shokuji-go); this compound is the shorter and more written form, and the spoken one is 食事の後.
後 and のち: the formal pair. のち is the written reading of the same word. It is used in the weather forecast: 晴れのち曇り (hare nochi kumori) is "clear, then cloudy," where the weather changes later in the period forecast. 後ほど (nochihodo) is a polite "a little later," used in the language of shops, offices and announcements: 後ほどお電話いたします, "I will telephone you a little later." To a customer, the plain あとで is thought too casual, and 後ほど is used in its place. In a text meant for reading, 〜の後 may be read nochi: ask the dictionary.
後で and 〜てから. Both can be translated "after." 〜てから (te kara) says that the first act is the necessary start: 日本語を勉強してから留学したほうがいい is "it is better to study Japanese first and then study abroad." It also says that a state has lasted since the start: 日本に来てから、毎朝六時に起きています, "since I came to Japan I have got up at six every morning." 〜た後で just gives the order of two events: 食べた後で、寝ました, "I ate, and after that I slept." Where the order alone is wanted, either may be used; where the first act is a condition, てから is the natural word. 後 also takes a noun (食事の後), which てから cannot do.
Contrast with the neighbours. - Use 後 (ato) for time and 後ろ (ushiro) for place: 授業の後 is the time after the lesson, 教室の後ろ is the back of the classroom - Use 前 (mae) for the opposite: 食事の前に, 食事の後で - Use 以後 (igo) or 以降 (ikō) for "from that time on" in written and official Japanese - Use それから (sore kara) or そして (soshite) for "and then" between sentences. 後 is a noun, and does not join two sentences by itself - Use あと (ato) alone, with a number, for "more, left": あと五分 (five more minutes). This is the sense taught in Lesson 55
Common Mistakes: - Using the dictionary form or the te-form before 後. \食べる後で and \食べて後で are wrong. Write 食べた後で. The dictionary form belongs to 前に: 食べる前に - Mixing the spoken and written forms. 授業の後で (jugyō no ato de) is the spoken phrase; 授業後 (jugyō-go) is a written compound with no の, read go. Do not read the compound ato, or put の into it - Reading the compounds wrongly. 食後 is shokugo and 午後 is gogo, not \shoku-ato or \go-ato. After a number the reading is also go: 三日後 is mikka-go - Using 後 for a place. \車の後に座った for "sat at the back of the car" is wrong. Write 車の後ろに座った. The same error produces \教室の後, \*三日後ろ - Taking 三日後 for "three days ago." It is "three days later." "Three days ago" is 三日前 - Adding a particle to the standalone adverb. 後で is already an adverb: 後でに電話します is wrong. Write 後で電話します - Translating English idioms with 後. "Look after" is 世話をする (sewa wo suru), "after all" is 結局 (kekkyoku), "the day after tomorrow" is 明後日 (asatte), "day after day" is 毎日 (mainichi). 後 does not stand for "after" in these - Mixing up 後 and 跡. 足跡 (ashiato) is a footprint, and cannot be written with 後
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
後 is one of the commonest words in daily speech, and a learner meets it on the first day in the farewell 「では、また後で」 and on a medicine bag. The Japanese ways of timing a dose are 食前, 食後 and 食間. 食後 (shokugo) means after a meal, in practice within about thirty minutes of eating. The pharmacists' explanations give two reasons: food in the stomach lessens the medicine's irritation of it, and a dose tied to a meal is easier to remember. 食前 (shokuzen) is before the meal, about thirty minutes ahead. 食間 (shokkan) does not mean "during the meal." It means "between meals," usually about two hours after eating. The instruction 「食後に飲んでください」 (56.5) is among the first full sentences a patient in Japan hears.
The weather forecast is the other everyday place. 晴れのち曇り, 曇りのち雨, 雨のち晴れ are the daily words, with のち in the written reading. In a forecast, のち marks a change of weather within the period forecast, and the second weather is the one that holds later in the day. The words 時々 and 一時 are different, and are kept for weather that comes and goes.
放課後 (hōkago) is the hours after school. 午後 (gogo) is the afternoon, and the 午前 of the morning is its mirror. 今後 is "from now on," and the letters and speeches of business close with 「今後ともよろしくお願いします」, a request that the friendly relation will go on in the future too.
後 is also in a proverb that every Japanese learner meets, 後の祭り (ato no matsuri), "the festival after": too late to do anything. It is the subject of Section F.
Register: 後で is neutral and spoken; 後ほど is the polite, formal "later"; のち is the written word, found in forecasts, in newspapers and in formal reports. 以後 and 以降 are the official words for "from then on."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
ことわざ (traditional proverb), 「後の祭り」 (Ato no matsuri), with the example sentences of the 故事ことわざ辞典
後の祭り 今さら嘆いても後の祭りだよ。 着いた時には後の祭りだった。 今となっては後の祭りだ。
「後の祭り」 is a proverb with no known author, and it belongs to the public domain of the language. The 故事ことわざ辞典 (Kojikotowaza jiten, the online "dictionary of proverbs and sayings") gives its meaning as "not being in time; being too late; having lost its effect," and records no earlier literary source (its entry for the source reads 不記載, "not recorded"). The three sentences above are the dictionary's own illustrations of the proverb in use. They are not a quotation from a book, and the lesson does not present them as one. The Digital Daijisen, quoted on the Weblio site, has two senses: the day after a festival is over, and, by extension, the uselessness of a float after the festival has gone, hence "too late." The proverb is chosen because it is made on this lesson's pattern, noun + の + 後 as in 56.2 and 56.6, and because it shows 後 in its plain time sense.
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a 後 after の GEN 祭り festival
F.1b ato (ah-toh) after no (noh) GEN matsuri (mah-tsoo-ree) festival
F.2a 今さら at-this-late-date 嘆いても lament-EVEN-IF 後 after の GEN 祭り festival だ COP.PLAIN よ FP
F.2b imasara (ee-mah-sah-rah) at-this-late-date nageite mo (nah-geh-ee-teh moh) lament-EVEN-IF ato (ah-toh) after no (noh) GEN matsuri (mah-tsoo-ree) festival da (dah) COP.PLAIN yo (yoh) FP
F.3a 着いた arrive-PAST 時 time には AT-TOP 後 after の GEN 祭り festival だった COP.PAST
F.3b tsuita (tsoo-ee-tah) arrive-PAST toki (toh-kee) time ni wa (nee wah) AT-TOP ato (ah-toh) after no (noh) GEN matsuri (mah-tsoo-ree) festival datta (daht-tah) COP.PAST
F.4a 今 now と AS なっては become-TOP.COND 後 after の GEN 祭り festival だ COP.PLAIN
F.4b ima (ee-mah) now to (toh) AS natte wa (naht-teh wah) become-TOP.COND ato (ah-toh) after no (noh) GEN matsuri (mah-tsoo-ree) festival da (dah) COP.PLAIN
F-B: Original and Translation
後の祭り 今さら嘆いても後の祭りだよ。 着いた時には後の祭りだった。 今となっては後の祭りだ。
"The festival after. / It's too late now to lament; it's the festival after. / By the time I arrived, it was the festival after. / As things now stand, it is the festival after." (Translation: Latinum Institute. The English phrase the dictionary gives for the proverb is "a day after the fair," and the sense is "too late, past help.")
F-C: Original
後の祭り 今さら嘆いても後の祭りだよ。 着いた時には後の祭りだった。 今となっては後の祭りだ。
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The proverb is the plain pattern 後 + の + 祭り (noun + の + noun): the festival that comes after, with 後 as the first noun, as in 後の席 in Lesson 55 (there it was 後ろ). The three sentences make it the predicate with the copula だ: 後の祭りだ, "it is the festival after," a state that things are found to be in.
The first example, 今さら嘆いても後の祭りだよ, has 嘆いても, the te-form of 嘆く (nageku, to lament) + も, "even if one laments," with 今さら (imasara), "now, at this late date." The よ at the end is the particle that gives the other person news. The second, 着いた時には後の祭りだった, has 着いた, the plain past of 着く, before 時 (toki), and には: に of time and は of contrast, "by the time I arrived, (as for that time)." The copula is in the past, だった. The third, 今となっては後の祭りだ, has 今となっては, a set expression: と + なる (to become), in the conditional-topic form なっては, "as things now are."
The origin of the proverb is told in several ways, and no one is certain. One account is the Gion festival of Kyoto, whose second part, the 後の祭 (ato no matsuri), was less lively than the first, the 前の祭, so that to go to it was to come when the best was over. Another is the funeral: to hold a great ceremony after a death cannot undo it. The Daijisen's first sense, "the day after the festival," also lies under it. The lesson takes the proverb for what it means, and states the origins as the dictionaries do, as stories that have been told.
The sense is that 後, the time after, is too late. This is the ordinary sense of the word: 後 is the time after a point, and the point is the festival, the arrival, the moment of speaking.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Yumi and Daisuke, two colleagues, arrange an evening over the phone. They use the polite style (です・ます) throughout. Every line has 後, in its ordinary reading, in a compound, or after a counter. The speaker is named at the start of each line.
56.16a Yumi: 仕事 work の GEN 後 after で TIME 何か something 予定 plan が SUBJ あります exist-POLITE か Q
56.16b Yumi: shigoto (shee-goh-toh) work no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME nanika (nah-nee-kah) something yotei (yoh-teh-ee) plan ga (gah) SUBJ arimasu (ah-ree-mahss) exist-POLITE ka (kah) Q
56.17a Daisuke: 仕事 work の GEN 後 after は TOP 歯医者 dentist に DIR 行きます go-POLITE
56.17b Daisuke: shigoto (shee-goh-toh) work no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP haisha (hah-ee-shah) dentist ni (nee) DIR ikimasu (ee-kee-mahss) go-POLITE
56.18a Yumi: じゃあ well-then 歯医者 dentist の GEN 後 after で TIME 一緒に together 晩ご飯 dinner を OBJ 食べません eat-NEG.POLITE か Q
56.18b Yumi: jā (jah) well-then haisha (hah-ee-shah) dentist no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME issho ni (eess-shoh nee) together bangohan (bahn-goh-hahn) dinner wo (oh) OBJ tabemasen (tah-beh-mah-sehn) eat-NEG.POLITE ka (kah) Q
56.19a Daisuke: ええ yes でも but 治療 treatment の GEN 後 after は TOP 一時間 one-hour ぐらい about 何 what も ANY 食べられません eat-POT-NEG.POLITE
56.19b Daisuke: ee (eh-eh) yes demo (deh-moh) but chiryō (chee-ryoh) treatment no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP ichijikan (ee-chee-jee-kahn) one-hour gurai (goo-rah-ee) about nani (nah-nee) what mo (moh) ANY taberaremasen (tah-beh-rah-reh-mah-sehn) eat-POT-NEG.POLITE
56.20a Yumi: では well-then 治療 treatment が SUBJ 終わった end-PAST 後 after で TIME 電話 telephone を OBJ ください give-me-PLEASE
56.20b Yumi: dewa (deh-wah) well-then chiryō (chee-ryoh) treatment ga (gah) SUBJ owatta (oh-waht-tah) end-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME denwa (dehn-wah) telephone wo (oh) OBJ kudasai (koo-dah-sah-ee) give-me-PLEASE
56.21a Daisuke: はい yes 電話 telephone の GEN 一時間 one-hour 後 after に TIME 駅 station の GEN 前 front で LOC 会いましょう meet-VOL.POLITE
56.21b Daisuke: hai (hah-ee) yes denwa (dehn-wah) telephone no (noh) GEN ichijikan (ee-chee-jee-kahn) one-hour go (goh) after ni (nee) TIME eki (eh-kee) station no (noh) GEN mae (mah-eh) front de (deh) LOC aimashō (ah-ee-mah-shoh) meet-VOL.POLITE
56.22a Yumi: はい yes 電話 telephone を OBJ もらった receive-PAST 後 after で TIME 私 I も also 家 house を OBJ 出ます leave-POLITE
56.22b Yumi: hai (hah-ee) yes denwa (dehn-wah) telephone wo (oh) OBJ moratta (moh-raht-tah) receive-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME watashi (wah-tah-shee) I mo (moh) also ie (ee-eh) house wo (oh) OBJ demasu (deh-mahss) leave-POLITE
56.23a Daisuke: 晩ご飯 dinner の GEN 後 after は TOP 映画 film を OBJ 見ません see-NEG.POLITE か Q
56.23b Daisuke: bangohan (bahn-goh-hahn) dinner no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP eiga (eh-ee-gah) film wo (oh) OBJ mimasen (mee-mah-sehn) see-NEG.POLITE ka (kah) Q
56.24a Yumi: すみません sorry 晩ご飯 dinner の GEN 後 after は TOP 母 mother に DAT 電話 telephone しなければ do-NEG.COND なりません MUST
56.24b Yumi: sumimasen (soo-mee-mah-sehn) sorry bangohan (bahn-goh-hahn) dinner no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP haha (hah-hah) mother ni (nee) DAT denwa (dehn-wah) telephone shinakereba (shee-nah-keh-reh-bah) do-NEG.COND narimasen (nah-ree-mah-sehn) MUST
56.25a Daisuke: それなら in-that-case 電話 telephone が SUBJ 終わった end-PAST 後 after で TIME メール email を OBJ ください give-me-PLEASE
56.25b Daisuke: sore nara (soh-reh nah-rah) in-that-case denwa (dehn-wah) telephone ga (gah) SUBJ owatta (oh-waht-tah) end-PAST ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME mēru (meh-eh-roo) email wo (oh) OBJ kudasai (koo-dah-sah-ee) give-me-PLEASE
56.26a Yumi: 後で later 映画 film の GEN 時間 time を OBJ 調べます look-up-POLITE
56.26b Yumi: ato de (ah-toh deh) later eiga (eh-ee-gah) film no (noh) GEN jikan (jee-kahn) time wo (oh) OBJ shirabemasu (shee-rah-beh-mahss) look-up-POLITE
56.27a Daisuke: 映画 film が SUBJ 終わった end-PAST 後 after は TOP 少し a-little 歩きません walk-NEG.POLITE か Q
56.27b Daisuke: eiga (eh-ee-gah) film ga (gah) SUBJ owatta (oh-waht-tah) end-PAST ato (ah-toh) after wa (wah) TOP sukoshi (soo-koh-shee) a-little arukimasen (ah-roo-kee-mah-sehn) walk-NEG.POLITE ka (kah) Q
56.28a Yumi: 夜 night の GEN 散歩 walk は TOP 食事 meal の GEN 後 after が SUBJ 一番 most 気持ちいい pleasant です COP.POLITE
56.28b Yumi: yoru (yoh-roo) night no (noh) GEN sanpo (sahn-poh) walk wa (wah) TOP shokuji (shoh-koo-jee) meal no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after ga (gah) SUBJ ichiban (ee-chee-bahn) most kimochi ii (kee-moh-chee ee) pleasant desu (dehss) COP.POLITE
56.29a Daisuke: 散歩 walk の GEN 後 after で TIME 駅 station まで as-far-as 送ります see-off-POLITE
56.29b Daisuke: sanpo (sahn-poh) walk no (noh) GEN ato (ah-toh) after de (deh) TIME eki (eh-kee) station made (mah-deh) as-far-as okurimasu (oh-koo-ree-mahss) see-off-POLITE
56.30a Yumi: では well-then また again 後で later
56.30b Yumi: dewa (deh-wah) well-then mata (mah-tah) again ato de (ah-toh deh) later
56.16 由美：仕事の後で、何か予定がありますか。(Yumi: Shigoto no ato de, nanika yotei ga arimasu ka.) "Yumi: Do you have any plans after work?" 56.17 大輔：仕事の後は、歯医者に行きます。(Daisuke: Shigoto no ato wa, haisha ni ikimasu.) "Daisuke: After work I'm going to the dentist." 56.18 由美：じゃあ、歯医者の後で、一緒に晩ご飯を食べませんか。(Yumi: Jā, haisha no ato de, issho ni bangohan wo tabemasen ka.) "Yumi: Then, after the dentist, won't you have dinner with me?" 56.19 大輔：ええ、でも治療の後は、一時間ぐらい何も食べられません。(Daisuke: Ee, demo chiryō no ato wa, ichijikan gurai nani mo taberaremasen.) "Daisuke: Yes, but after the treatment I can't eat anything for about an hour." 56.20 由美：では、治療が終わった後で、電話をください。(Yumi: Dewa, chiryō ga owatta ato de, denwa wo kudasai.) "Yumi: Then please call me when the treatment is over." 56.21 大輔：はい、電話の一時間後に、駅の前で会いましょう。(Daisuke: Hai, denwa no ichijikan-go ni, eki no mae de aimashō.) "Daisuke: Yes. Let's meet in front of the station an hour after the call." 56.22 由美：はい、電話をもらった後で、私も家を出ます。(Yumi: Hai, denwa wo moratta ato de, watashi mo ie wo demasu.) "Yumi: Yes. After I get your call, I'll leave the house too." 56.23 大輔：晩ご飯の後は、映画を見ませんか。(Daisuke: Bangohan no ato wa, eiga wo mimasen ka.) "Daisuke: After dinner, how about seeing a film?" 56.24 由美：すみません、晩ご飯の後は、母に電話しなければなりません。(Yumi: Sumimasen, bangohan no ato wa, haha ni denwa shinakereba narimasen.) "Yumi: I'm sorry, after dinner I have to phone my mother." 56.25 大輔：それなら、電話が終わった後で、メールをください。(Daisuke: Sore nara, denwa ga owatta ato de, mēru wo kudasai.) "Daisuke: In that case, please send me an email when your call is over." 56.26 由美：後で映画の時間を調べます。(Yumi: Ato de eiga no jikan wo shirabemasu.) "Yumi: I'll look up the film times later." 56.27 大輔：映画が終わった後は、少し歩きませんか。(Daisuke: Eiga ga owatta ato wa, sukoshi arukimasen ka.) "Daisuke: After the film, shall we walk a little?" 56.28 由美：夜の散歩は、食事の後が一番気持ちいいです。(Yumi: Yoru no sanpo wa, shokuji no ato ga ichiban kimochi ii desu.) "Yumi: An evening walk is most pleasant after a meal." 56.29 大輔：散歩の後で、駅まで送ります。(Daisuke: Sanpo no ato de, eki made okurimasu.) "Daisuke: After the walk, I'll see you to the station." 56.30 由美：では、また後で。(Yumi: Dewa, mata ato de.) "Yumi: Well then, see you later."
56.16 由美：仕事の後で、何か予定がありますか。 56.17 大輔：仕事の後は、歯医者に行きます。 56.18 由美：じゃあ、歯医者の後で、一緒に晩ご飯を食べませんか。 56.19 大輔：ええ、でも治療の後は、一時間ぐらい何も食べられません。 56.20 由美：では、治療が終わった後で、電話をください。 56.21 大輔：はい、電話の一時間後に、駅の前で会いましょう。 56.22 由美：はい、電話をもらった後で、私も家を出ます。 56.23 大輔：晩ご飯の後は、映画を見ませんか。 56.24 由美：すみません、晩ご飯の後は、母に電話しなければなりません。 56.25 大輔：それなら、電話が終わった後で、メールをください。 56.26 由美：後で映画の時間を調べます。 56.27 大輔：映画が終わった後は、少し歩きませんか。 56.28 由美：夜の散歩は、食事の後が一番気持ちいいです。 56.29 大輔：散歩の後で、駅まで送ります。 56.30 由美：では、また後で。
仕事の後で、何か予定がありますか (56.16). 後で after a noun with の: "after work." 何か (nanika) is "something," and 予定がある is "there is a plan." The question is the usual opening of an invitation: it asks about the time after work before it proposes anything.
仕事の後は (56.17). は makes "after work" the topic, so that the answer is about that time and not about the rest of the day: "as for after work, I am going to the dentist." に marks the destination of 行く.
歯医者の後で、一緒に…食べませんか (56.18). 食べませんか, the negative question, is the polite invitation: "won't you eat?" 一緒に (issho ni) is "together." じゃあ (jā) is the spoken form of では, "in that case."
治療の後は、…食べられません (56.19). 食べられません is the negative polite of the potential form of 食べる: 食べられる, "can eat," so "cannot eat." 何も…ません is "nothing at all." 一時間ぐらい is "about an hour": ぐらい after a length of time. ええ, でも is "yes, but."
治療が終わった後で、電話をください (56.20). The clause before 後 is in the plain past, and its subject is marked with が. 電話をください is "please give me a call," with the noun 電話 and ください as a request. In this sentence 後で is "after (it has ended)."
電話の一時間後に (56.21). A counter and 後, with the noun 電話の before it: "an hour after the call." The point from which the hour is counted is the call, so it is stated before the number. 後 is read go here. 駅の前で is "in front of the station," with で for the place of the action, 会いましょう.
電話をもらった後で (56.22). もらう is "to receive," and 電話をもらう is "to get a call (from someone)." The speaker will leave the house only after the call has been received: the plain past is used even though the call lies in the future, as in 56.10.
晩ご飯の後は (56.23). The same frame as 56.17. 映画を見ませんか is an invitation, as in 56.18.
母に電話しなければなりません (56.24). 母 (haha) is one's own mother, and に marks the person phoned. 電話しなければなりません is "must telephone," the obligation pattern: the negative conditional しなければ + なりません, "if one does not do it, it will not do." すみません is "I'm sorry" as the soft opening of a refusal.
それなら、…メールをください (56.25). それなら is "in that case, if that is so." The clause is the same as 56.20, and メールをください is "please send me an email."
後で映画の時間を調べます (56.26). Here 後で stands alone, and means "later": 56.1 again. 調べる is "to look up, check," and the object 映画の時間 is "the film's time," that is, the showing times.
映画が終わった後は (56.27). Plain past, and は for the topic, as in 56.13. 歩きませんか is the invitation: 歩く is "to walk."
食事の後が一番気持ちいい (56.28). Here 後 is the subject of the sentence: 食事の後が. 一番 (ichiban) is "most," as in 一番後ろ in Lesson 55. 気持ちいい (kimochi ii) is "pleasant, comfortable," a spoken form of 気持ちがいい.
散歩の後で、駅まで送ります (56.29). 送る (okuru) is "to see (someone) off, to take (someone) to a place," and まで is "as far as."
また後で (56.30). The farewell. また is "again," and 後で is "later." In the more formal form it is 後ほど, as in the Section D account of the formal pair.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Japanese has pitch accent, not stress: each word has a pattern of high and low pitch, and the respellings in this lesson give every syllable the same weight. For the pitch pattern of each word, check an accent dictionary such as the NHK 日本語発音アクセント新辞典 as you learn.
後 (ato) — IPA: /a.to/ — Two morae. Each vowel is short and clear. The t is a plain tongue-tip t, with no puff of air as in English. 後で (ato de) — IPA: /a.to.de/ — Said as one word. 後ろ (ushiro) — IPA: /ɯ.ɕi.ɾo/ — The word of Lesson 55. Compare the two: 後 (ato) is a time, 後ろ (ushiro) is a place. 後 (nochi) — IPA: /no.tɕi/ — The formal reading. The ch is as in English "church," and the vowels are short. 後ほど (nochihodo) — IPA: /no.tɕi.ho.do/ — Four morae. 食後 (shokugo) — IPA: /ɕo.kɯ.ɡo/ — The go is a voiced g, as the second element of the compound. 午後 (gogo) — IPA: /ɡo.ɡo/ — Both g's are voiced. 放課後 (hōkago) — IPA: /hoː.ka.ɡo/ — The ō is long. 三日後 (mikka-go) — IPA: /mik.ka.ɡo/ — The kk is a held consonant: stop for a beat before the second k. 一時間後 (ichijikan-go) — IPA: /i.tɕi.dʑi.kaɴ.ɡo/ — The n is the moraic n, a full beat. 今後 (kongo) — IPA: /koɴ.ɡo/ — The n is moraic, and the g after it is voiced. 明後日 (asatte) — IPA: /a.sat.te/ — Learn the whole word: the tt is held. 後半 (kōhan) — IPA: /koː.haɴ/ — Read kō, not ato or go. 後悔 (kōkai) — IPA: /koː.ka.i/ — The first ō is long. 治療 (chiryō) — IPA: /tɕi.ɾjoː/ — The ryō is a single syllable with a long ō. 卒業 (sotsugyō) — IPA: /so.tsɯ.ɡjoː/ — The ts is one sound, as at the end of English "cats." 東京 (Tōkyō) — IPA: /toː.kjoː/ — Both ō are long. 連絡 (renraku) — IPA: /ɾeɴ.ɾa.kɯ/ — The r is the quick tap, like the d in "ladder." 嘆く (nageku) — IPA: /na.ɡe.kɯ/ — Four short morae in the te-form: 嘆いて (nageite). 今さら (imasara) — IPA: /i.ma.sa.ɾa/ — Four short morae. 祭り (matsuri) — IPA: /ma.tsɯ.ɾi/ — The ts is one sound.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)