后

Tap the pinyin to hear it

empress; queen; (archaic) monarch; ruler

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Components 口 ? unknown part

behind · Heisig RSH #659

drag + ceiling + 口 mouth

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
后天	hòu tiān	the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie…
后边	hòu bian	the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back; later; afterwards
最后	zuì hòu	final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end
大后天	dà hòu tiān	three days from now
后天性	hòu tiān xìng	acquired (characteristic etc)
后生动物	hòu shēng dòng wù	metazoa; the animal kingdom
后人	hòu rén	later generation
后头	hòu tou	behind; the back; the rear; later; afterwards; (in) the future
后学	hòu xué	junior scholar or pupil in imperial China
后心	hòu xīn	middle of the back
后生	hòu shēng	young generation; youth; young man
后儿	hòu r	the day after tomorrow
无后	wú hòu	(literary) to have no descendants; to have no son to continue one's lineage
天后	Tiān hòu	Tin Hau, Empress of Heaven, another name for the goddess Matsu 媽祖\|妈祖[Ma1 zu3]; Tin Hau (Ho…
尔后	ěr hòu	henceforth; thereafter; subsequently
后海	Hòu hǎi	Houhai, a lake and the area surrounding it in central Beijing
有后	yǒu hòu	to have a descendant; to have a son to continue one's lineage
后金	Hòu Jīn	Later Jin dynasty (from 1616-); Manchu Khanate or kingdom that took over as Qing dynasty i…
后手	hòu shǒu	defensive position (in chess); room for maneuver; a way of escape
后面	hòu mian	the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back; later; afterwards

These characters use 后 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
后 sound part	hòu	after; behind, rear; descendants
垢	gòu	dirt, filth, stains; dirty; disgraceful
诟	gòu	to abuse, to scold; to berate, to insult
逅	hòu	to meet unexpectedly