遅い
osoi
The Japanese word for 'late' is 遅い (osoi).
遅い is an adjective used to describe someone or something that is not arriving until after an expected time. It can also be used to describe a pace or speed that is slow.
Meaning: not arriving until after an expected time (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 遅い means both 'late' (regarding time) and 'slow' (regarding speed), other forms exist for specific contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to use 'late' as an adverb (for example, to say you arrived late), you use the form 遅く instead of the adjective 遅い.
How do you pronounce it?
osoi
Did you know?
- When describing a person who has passed away, Japanese speakers do not use 遅い to mean 'late'. Instead, they use terms like 故 (ko) to indicate the 'late' Mr. or Ms. Tanaka.
- The kanji for 遅い contains the radical for 'walking' or 'movement' on the left side. This visually encodes the concept of speed or the rate of motion into the character itself.
- If you are 'late' to a meeting, you might use the word 遅刻 (chikoku) instead of the adjective 遅い. While 遅い describes a state of being slow or late, 遅刻 is a specific noun used for the act of tardiness itself.
Examples in context
- トムは遅い。Tom's late.This sentence shows how to describe a person as being late using 遅い.Tatoeba #7577231 by Kisu, translation #8594550 by Scuba
- いまさら遅いよ。It's too late now.This sentence uses 遅い to express that it is too late in a certain situation.Tatoeba #228551 by bunbuku, translation #65909 by CK
- 急いで。遅いぞ。Hurry up. It's late.This sentence uses 遅い to indicate that it is late.Tatoeba #9496119 by small_snow, translation #9496086 by CK
- 申し訳ありませんが、今日は遅れます。I apologize, but I will be late today.
- 先生、遅刻してしまいました。申し訳ありません。I'm sorry, teacher, I am late.
- ごめんなさい、報告書を提出するのが遅くなります。I'm sorry, but I will submit the report late.
- ごめんね、遅れちゃった。Sorry, I got late.
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is waiting for Kenta at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui健太、遅いよ！Kenta, osoi yo!Kenta, you're late!
- 健太 Kentaごめん、電車が遅れたんだ。Gomen, densha ga okureta n da.Sorry, the train was delayed.
- 結衣 Yuiもう３０分も待ったんだから。Mō sanjuppun mo matta n dakara.I've already been waiting for thirty minutes.
- 健太 Kenta本当にごめん。次からは早めに来るよ。Hontō ni gomen. Tsugi kara wa hayame ni kuru yo.I'm really sorry. I'll come earlier from now on.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 遅い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
