后 (hòu) is a Chinese character meaning “behind”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 一 (one) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “behind; after”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 丿 + 一 + 口
Enclosing structure
- 丿 left-falling stroke unknown
- 丿 left-falling stroke unknown
- 一 one · yī unknown
- 口 mouth · kǒu unknown
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes
Memory aid
A short stroke (丿) on top, a long one (丿) sweeping down the left, a line (一) jutting out to the right, and a mouth (口) sheltered underneath — the mouth that gives the orders is up front, so everyone else stays behind.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 以后yǐ hòuafter; later; from now on后 = hòu
- 之后zhī hòuafter; afterward后 = hòu
- 后悔hòu huǐto regret; to feel sorry afterwards后 = hòu
- 后患hòu huànfuture trouble; lingering danger后 = hòu
- 后缀hòu zhuìsuffix后 = hòu
- 后背hòu bèithe back (of the human body)后 = hòu
- 后退hòu tuìto move back; to retreat后 = hòu
- 皇后huáng hòuempress; queen consort后 = hòu
Go deeper
All readings
behind; after
behind; back; rear; after; later; afterwards
方位词，指背面、后面；也指时间上较晚的，与「前」相对。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 以后yǐ hòuafter; later; from now on后 = hòu
- 之后zhī hòuafter; afterward后 = hòu
- 后悔hòu huǐto regret; to feel sorry afterwards后 = hòu
- 后患hòu huànfuture trouble; lingering danger后 = hòu
- 后缀hòu zhuìsuffix后 = hòu
- 后背hòu bèithe back (of the human body)后 = hòu
- 后退hòu tuìto move back; to retreat后 = hòu
- 皇后huáng hòuempress; queen consort后 = hòu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 后 mean?
后 (hòu) means behind; back; rear; after; later; afterwards.
How do you pronounce 后?
It is pronounced hòu.
What parts is 后 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 一 (one) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 后 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 后?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 后?
Common ones are 以后 and 之后. The reading of 后 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.