Japanese symbol for “late”
遅い
おそい
Romaji: osoi
slow
In Japanese, late is 遅い, read おそい (osoi).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i slow
- adj-i late
- adj-i too late
Written forms: 遅い、鈍い、晩い、遲い. Readings: おそい、おっそい、おそーい、おっそーい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “late”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遅く | おそく osoku | late |
| 深い | ふかい fukai | late (e.g. hour, season) |
| 故 | こ ko | the late; the deceased |
| 亡き | なき naki | deceased; late; dead |
| レイト | レイト reito | late |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 遅れ | おくれ okure | delay; lag; falling behind |
| 遅刻 | ちこく chikoku | lateness; tardiness; arriving late |
| 手遅れ | ておくれ teokure | being too late; losing one's final chance |
| 遅延 | ちえん chien | delay; latency |
| 遅れる | おくれる okureru | to be late; to be delayed; to fall behind schedule |
See also: Chinese symbol for “late”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.