後 — “after / behind” in Japanese

Grade 2ご, こう, あと, うし

Radical ⼻ · radical 60 The building block this kanji is filed under

“after / behind” in Japanese is 後, read go, kou, ato (ご, こう, あと, うし). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 午後 (afternoon).

Try it now

What does 後 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	後
Meaning	after / behind
Readings	ご, こう, あと, うし
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	午後 (afternoon)

How to read 後

後 is read go (ご) or kou (こう) or ato (あと) or ushi (うし) depending on the word.

Words with 後

今後こんご
後半こうはん
最後さいご
午後ごご
前後ぜんご
後ろ足うしろあし
後悔

Learn 後 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 後

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28