Meaning

Primary

Behind

Alternatives

Back, Rear

Word Type

noun

Explanation

The hiragana attached to this word doesn't suggest it's a verb or an adjective, so we can assume it's a noun. While 後で (you may or may not have seen this word yet) means "after," this one means all the other meanings you learned with the kanji: behind, back, and rear. Think of the as a hint. It's like saying you're on the "road" () and you're driving so fast you're leaving everything "behind."

Reading

うしろ
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

Since this word consists of a kanji with hiragana attached, you can bet that it will use the kun'yomi reading. You didn't learn that reading with this kanji, so here's a mnemonic to help you:

Continue to think you're driving on this road. You hit something, then look behind you, seeing you hit a cow. Know the word for cow in Japanese? It's うし, which is also the reading for this word.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 後ろにいる

    to be behind

    後ろに下がる

    to step backwards

    後ろにある

    to be behind

Context Sentences

後ろに見える大きな山が、ふじ山です。

The big mountain you can see behind is Mt. Fuji.

車の後ろのシートにティッシュがあります

There is a tissue on the back seat of the car.

人々の後ろに一人女の人が立っています。

A woman is standing behind people.

Kanji Composition