Hanzi Grove
后来
HSK 3 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)Old HSK 3

后来 (hòulái) · later

后来 (hòulái) means “later; afterwards”. It is written with 2 characters: 后 (behind) + 来 (to come). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 后来 is built

The characters

后 hòu · behind

What 后 is made of

来 lái · to come

What 来 is made of

Origin hint: A wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

后来他去了北京。Hòulái tā qù le Běijīng.Later he went to Beijing.
后来呢?他们怎么样了?Hòulái ne? Tāmen zěnmeyàng le?And then? What happened to them?

Questions about 后来

What does 后来 mean?

后来 (hòulái) means “later; afterwards”.

How do you pronounce 后来?

后来 is pronounced hòulái.

Which HSK level is 后来?

后来 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.

Related words

Learn 后来 with its group

It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 72: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group