behind, back, later
Came from Chinese. It usually shows up when the kanji is joined to another, forming a compound word.
It is Japanese. It usually shows up when the kanji stands alone or is followed by hiragana.
The order matters: it is what makes handwriting come out legible, and it is how dictionaries index the character.
Visual decomposition, for recognising and comparing — not always the character's origin.
Where it appears is highlighted — the translation doesn't always make that visible.
こんなに走り回った後だから、今日は二人前食べていいよね。
Konna ni hashirimawatta ato dakara, kyou wa nininmae tabete ii yo ne.
After all that running around, I deserve a double portion today.
数日後、ルーカスはまた同じお願いをされました。
Suujitsugo, Rūkasu wa mata onaji onegai o saremashita.
A few days later, Lucas was asked to do the same task again.
だから、あの最後の質問はテストではなく、彼女なりの、彼の頑張りへのご褒美でした。
Dakara, ano saigo no shitsumon wa tesuto de wa naku, kanojo nari no, kare no ganbari e no gohoubi deshita.
So that last question wasn't a test anymore — it was a treat, her own way of acknowledging his effort.
午後は、会議とライン作業であっという間に過ぎていきました。
Gogo wa, kaigi to rain sagyou de attoiuma ni sugite ikimashita.
The afternoon flew by, between the meeting and work on the line.
なんで「十五時」って言うの?「午後三時」じゃなくて?
Nande "juugo-ji" tte iu no? "Gogo san-ji" ja nakute?
Why do you say "fifteen hundred" instead of "three PM"?
しばらくして、ゆきさんは後ろから小さな声を聞きました。
Shibaraku shite, Yuki-san wa ushiro kara chiisana koe o kikimashita.
A little while later, Yuki heard a small voice behind her.
数分後、湯気の立つどんぶりが運ばれてきました。
Suufun-go, yuge no tatsu donburi ga hakobarete kimashita.
A few minutes later, the steaming bowls arrived.
Readings and meanings: KANJIDIC2 · Decomposition: KRADFILE · Both from Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0 · data from 2026-09-07 · Strokes: KanjiVG, Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0