In Urdu (the national language of Pakistan), the word kal means both “yesterday” and “tomorrow.” Context determines the intended meaning. In a similar way, the meaning of 後 slip-slides from compound to compound, as we can somewhat grasp from its assorted yomi:

GO, nochi: after, later
KŌ, ushi(ro): behind
ato: afterward, subsequent, later, back, rear, remainder, retro-
oku(reru): to be late, to lag behind, to fall back

I say “somewhat” because in one sense, all the definitions look like close cousins. But from another perspective, that’s not necessarily so.

Concepts of “after” and “behind” can be tricky in both Japanese and English. To explore this, let’s think of those words in a spatial sense first.

If someone is walking more slowly than you, you can say in English that he’s “behind” you, that he’s walking “after” you, or that he’s “in back.” No difference.

In Japanese, too, 後 can indicate that something or someone is bringing up the rear, as in these words:

But if you shift to a temporal focus, some fuzziness creeps into both languages. In English, if someone says, “Let’s move the deadline back,” it’s unclear whether the new deadline is earlier or later than the old one.

Let’s see how it is in Japanese—specifically, in terms of 後—by considering these words:

In these cases, 後 implies that one is looking back on the past. That’s completely logical.

Now look at this word:

後 (nochi: afterward, since then, later, in the future)

The first few definitions of nochi indicate that one is again reflecting on the past. But the last definition, “in the future,” means that nochi also looks ahead to what has not yet occurred.

Now try doubling the character:

後々 (atoato or nochinochi: in the future)

When you repeat 後 (reading it as atoato or nochinochi), there’s only a future orientation. I suppose this sort of “after” means “after now” or “after the present moment.” That’s definitely the case in this word:

今後 (kongo: from now on, hereafter)          now + after

Fortunately, when 後 couples with 前 (ZEN, mae: before) in compounds, we can be sure which end is up. That is, in such words, 前 clearly means “before,” and 後 means “after” in a conventional sense. Let’s look at some compounds that span the range from ato to zen:

A Note for Sticklers …

前後 (zengo: about, approximately, front and back, longitudinal, order, sequence)          front + back

This is the most straightforward pairing. No okurigana, no fuss and muss. Just two on-yomi getting together and having a good time. But look at all the definitions!

Did you want a little confusion? OK, here’s another take on this compound:

前後ろ (mae-ushiro: front and back)          front + back

This configuration means “front and back.” And when you flip those kanji around, the two yomi (mae and ushiro) stay the same, but look how the meaning changes:

後ろ前 (ushiro-mae: with front and back reversed)          
    back + front

For a Second “Before” …

Several cool expressions have spun off from 前後:

前後左右 (zengo-sayū: in all directions)
     front + back + left + right

This reminds me of a decapitated chicken, scampering in all directions.

前後関係 (zengo-kankei: context (of passage))
     before + after + relationship (last 2 chars.)

The breakdown makes perfect sense; context has everything to do with what precedes and what follows.

前後不覚 (zengo-fukaku: unconscious)          
    before + after + not + awake

Being unconscious, one has no sense of what happens before or after a given moment.

For Thoughts on 覚 …

In other four-kanji compounds, 前 and 後 appear in the second and fourth positions:

空前絶後 (kūzen-zetsugo: so marvelous or horrible that it may be the first and probably the last)          
    empty + before + to discontinue + behind

What’s this breakdown all about!? A Japanese friend feels certain that 空 means “empty” here and that 空前 means “empty prior example,” which is to say “unprecedented.” Makes sense to me! Meanwhile, my dictionary defines 絶後, the latter half of 空前絶後, as “never to be seen again.”

産前産後 (sanzen-sango: before and after childbirth)          
    birth + before + birth + after

Quite a logical word! What’s more, sanzen-sango has a lovely, repeating rhythm, sounding almost incantational.

Here’s one more compound, this time with 前 and 後 in the first and third positions:

前虎後狼 (zenko-kōrō: one calamity following closely on the heels of another; out of the frying pan and into the fire)
     before + tiger + after + wolf

How colorful this expression is! We speak of frying pans, while the Japanese reference tigers and wolves! Literally, this compound means “keeping a tiger at bay at the front gate, while a wolf appears at the back.”

For More Philosophizing,
Japanese-Style …

Now it’s time for your Verbal Logic Quiz. Just click on the link below and see how you do!

For the Verbal Logic Quiz …