Later in Different Languages
Discover 'Later' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'later' is a simple, two-syllable term that carries a significant weight in our daily conversations. It signifies a point in time that is yet to come, a delay, or a deferment. But what makes 'later' even more fascinating is its cultural importance and the myriad of ways it is translated across different languages.
Historically, 'later' has been used in various contexts, from literature to music, and has been a source of inspiration for many artists and writers. For instance, in the song 'Another Day, Another Time' by The Staves, 'later' is used to express a longing for a future moment with a loved one.
Given its significance and cultural importance, you might want to know how 'later' is translated in different languages. This knowledge not only broadens your cultural horizons but also enriches your vocabulary and communication skills.
Here are some translations of 'later' in various languages:
Later
Later in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | later | ||
| The Afrikaans "later" can also mean "noise" or "disturbance". | |||
| Amharic | በኋላ | ||
| በኋላ can also mean 'behind' in a spatial sense, referring to the position of something relative to something else. | |||
| Hausa | daga baya | ||
| Daga baya's literal translation is "from the back," which denotes a later time | |||
| Igbo | emechaa | ||
| "Emechaa" is sometimes used to refer to the near future, similar to "soon" or "shortly" in English. | |||
| Malagasy | taty aoriana | ||
| The word "taty aoriana" in Malagasy also means "tomorrow". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | pambuyo pake | ||
| In some contexts, the phrase "pambuyo pake" can also mean "be careful" or "watch out". | |||
| Shona | gare gare | ||
| The term "gare gare" in Shona can also refer to "in abundance" or "at length." | |||
| Somali | hadhow | ||
| The word 'hadhow' can also mean 'afterwards' or 'subsequently' in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | hamorao | ||
| An alternate meaning of the Sesotho word "hamorao" is "afterwards". | |||
| Swahili | baadae | ||
| Baadae, in Swahili, also means "after" or "next". | |||
| Xhosa | kamva | ||
| The noun 'kamva' can mean 'later today' but is also used in greetings to mean 'good afternoon'. | |||
| Yoruba | nigbamii | ||
| "Nigbamii" also means "after". In the context of time, "nigbamii" can mean "in the future" or "later" depending on the context. | |||
| Zulu | kamuva | ||
| "Kamuva" is a Zulu word which has other meanings such as afterwards or later on. | |||
| Bambara | kɔfɛ | ||
| Ewe | emegbe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | nyuma | ||
| Lingala | nsima | ||
| Luganda | oluvannyuma | ||
| Sepedi | moragonyana | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akyire | ||
Later in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | في وقت لاحق | ||
| The word "في وقت لاحق" also means "afterwards" in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | מאוחר יותר | ||
| The word 'מאוחר יותר' ('later') in Hebrew derives from the root 'אחר' ('other'), implying a sense of 'after something else' or 'at a different time'. | |||
| Pashto | وروسته | ||
| وروسته (later) derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer- "to turn, bend" (cf. English "wry"). | |||
| Arabic | في وقت لاحق | ||
| The word "في وقت لاحق" also means "afterwards" in Arabic. | |||
Later in Western European Languages
| Albanian | më vonë | ||
| The Albanian word "më vonë" can also mean "afterwards", "later on" or "subsequently" depending on context and tone of speech | |||
| Basque | beranduago | ||
| The word 'beranduago' also means 'behind' or 'at the back' in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | més tard | ||
| The Catalan word "més tard" is a combination of the words "més" (more) and "tard" (late), and it can also mean "afterward" or "sometime later." | |||
| Croatian | kasnije | ||
| The word 'kasnije' in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kes-, meaning 'to wait' or 'to delay'. | |||
| Danish | senere | ||
| Senere (meaning 'later') originates from the same root as 'sen' ('old' or 'past'; also 'slow'), and is cognate with English 'senior' and German 'seinen'. | |||
| Dutch | later | ||
| The Dutch word "later" can also mean "ladder". | |||
| English | later | ||
| The word 'later' is derived from the comparative form of the Old English word 'læt' meaning 'slow' or 'tardy'. | |||
| French | plus tard | ||
| The French phrase "plus tard" also means "afterward" and "onwards". | |||
| Frisian | letter | ||
| The Frisian word "letter" is derived from the Old Frisian word "lettra", which means "obstacle" or "barrier". | |||
| Galician | despois | ||
| In medieval Galician, "despois" was synonymous with "depois" and meant "from now on" as well as "later". | |||
| German | später | ||
| The word "später" derives from the Old High German word "spuot", which means "late" or "tardy". | |||
| Icelandic | síðar | ||
| "Síðar" can also mean "afterwards" or "the last". | |||
| Irish | níos déanaí | ||
| This term contains the word "déanaí" (literally "after" or "subsequently"), and hence can be considered a cognate of the English term "posterior". | |||
| Italian | dopo | ||
| “Dopo” is derived from Latin “de post”, meaning “after” or “behind”. | |||
| Luxembourgish | méi spéit | ||
| Maltese | wara | ||
| The word "wara" in Maltese can also mean "behind" or "after". | |||
| Norwegian | seinere | ||
| The Norwegian word "seinere" derives from the Old Norse word "síð", meaning "afterwards" or "later." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mais tarde | ||
| "Mais tarde" is a phrase that originates from "mais" (meaning "more") and "tarde" (meaning "late") and can also mean "afterwards" or "some other time". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nas fhaide air adhart | ||
| Spanish | más tarde | ||
| Más tarde is a phrase that can also mean 'afterwards' or 'subsequently' in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | senare | ||
| The word "senare" is derived from the Old Norse word "seinna" (or "seinn"), which also means "slow" or "late". | |||
| Welsh | yn ddiweddarach | ||
| "Yn y diwedd ar" has the same meaning and derivation but has fallen out of use | |||
Later in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пазней | ||
| "Пазней" in Belarusian also refers to an evening get-together with friends or neighbors. | |||
| Bosnian | kasnije | ||
| The word "kasnije" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kasьnь", which means "tardy" or "slow". | |||
| Bulgarian | по късно | ||
| The Bulgarian word "по късно" also has the alternate meaning of "eventually" or "someday". | |||
| Czech | později | ||
| "Později" can also mean "after all", "finally", "in the end" or "subsequently." | |||
| Estonian | hiljem | ||
| The word "hiljem" derives from the Proto-Finnic word *hiljemb and is cognate with the Finnish word "myöhemmin" and the Karelian word "hüöje". | |||
| Finnish | myöhemmin | ||
| Myöhemmin derives from the genitive case of myöhä 'late', and its literal meaning is 'at a late point'. | |||
| Hungarian | a későbbiekben | ||
| The word "a későbbiekben" can also mean "in the future" or "at a later time". | |||
| Latvian | vēlāk | ||
| Vēlāk comes from Proto-Indo-European root “*wel” (to turn or choose), while also sharing a connection to “vēl” (still, yet). | |||
| Lithuanian | vėliau | ||
| "Vėliau" derives from "vėliava" (flag), which refers to the flag signaling the end of a battle, and hence, the end of the day. | |||
| Macedonian | подоцна | ||
| The word "подоцна" is also used to denote the state of something that has not yet been realized. | |||
| Polish | później | ||
| The word "później" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozdъ, which also means "late". | |||
| Romanian | mai tarziu | ||
| In Romanian, "mai tarziu" can also mean "later on" or "some time in the future." | |||
| Russian | позже | ||
| "Позже" comes from the word "за" (meaning "behind, at the end") and the comparative degree suffix "-ее". | |||
| Serbian | касније | ||
| The word "касније" is derived from the Slavic root "kasno", which means "late", and also has the alternate meaning of "tardily". | |||
| Slovak | neskôr | ||
| The word "neskôr" is related to the word "neskorý" which means late, and is also related to the word "nos" which means nose. | |||
| Slovenian | kasneje | ||
| The word "kasneje" comes from the Proto-Slavic *kasьnьje, which also means "slower". | |||
| Ukrainian | пізніше | ||
| The word "пізніше" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *pozdьnь, which also means "late afternoon" or "evening." | |||
Later in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পরে | ||
| পরে ('pare'/'pore') can also mean 'in turn' or 'successively'. | |||
| Gujarati | પછીથી | ||
| પછીથી is derived from the words 'પાછુ' (back or again) and 'થી' (from). Its alternate meanings include 'after that', 'subsequently', 'hereafter', and 'later on'. | |||
| Hindi | बाद में | ||
| The word "बाद में" in Hindi derives from the Persian word "bād" meaning "after". | |||
| Kannada | ನಂತರ | ||
| The word "ನಂತರ" can also mean "afterwards" or "subsequently". | |||
| Malayalam | പിന്നീട് | ||
| The word "പിന്നീട്" derives from the Proto-Dravidian root "*piɳ-i" meaning "after" or "behind". | |||
| Marathi | नंतर | ||
| The Marathi word "नंतर" is derived from the Sanskrit word "अन्तर" meaning "interval" or "difference" and also means "afterwards," "in the future," or "subsequently." | |||
| Nepali | पछि | ||
| The word 'पछि' in Nepali has the same root as the word 'back' in English, and can also mean 'after' or 'behind'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਬਾਅਦ ਵਿਚ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පසු | ||
| "පසු" also means "posterior" or "back" in Sinhala. | |||
| Tamil | பின்னர் | ||
| Telugu | తరువాత | ||
| Urdu | بعد میں | ||
Later in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 后来 | ||
| "后" means behind or after. "来" means come or arrive, but it's often used as an auxiliary word in this case. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 後來 | ||
| 後來 derived from 後, meaning "behind" in time and space. | |||
| Japanese | 後で | ||
| The suffix "de" in "後で" was originally a postposition meaning "from the direction of" and has evolved to indicate a point in time. | |||
| Korean | 나중 | ||
| In Middle Korean, "나중 (na-jung)" meant "to continue to exist". In Modern Korean, it also means "to remain" or "to be left". | |||
| Mongolian | дараа нь | ||
| "Даран" is a Mongolian word meaning "to follow" or "to come after" and is the root of the word "дараа нь" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | နောက်မှ | ||
Later in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | kemudian | ||
| The word "kemudian" originally meant "afterwards" but has evolved to encompass meanings of "then" and "next" in Indonesian. | |||
| Javanese | mengko mengko | ||
| The word 'mengko mengko' in Javanese can also mean 'slowly' or 'gradually'. | |||
| Khmer | ក្រោយមក | ||
| The word "ក្រោយមក" can also mean "afterwards" or "subsequently" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຕໍ່ມາ | ||
| Malay | kemudian | ||
| "Kemudian" also means "behind" in Malay, with its most literal meaning being "rear" or "back." | |||
| Thai | ในภายหลัง | ||
| ในภายหลัง is related to the word “ภายหลัง” (back, or behind), as in “เดินไปข้างหลัง” (to walk to the back). | |||
| Vietnamese | một lát sau | ||
| The word "một lát sau" can also mean "a short time ago". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mamaya | ||
Later in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sonra | ||
| The word "sonra" also means "finally" in Azeri, but with a nuance of "at the end of something important". | |||
| Kazakh | кейінірек | ||
| "Кейінірек", derived from the Proto-Turkic "kayın", means "relative" or "in-law". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кийинчерээк | ||
| Кийинчерээк is a word in Kyrgyz that can also mean "tomorrow" or "later in the day" | |||
| Tajik | баъдтар | ||
| The word "баъдтар" is also used to mean "then" or "afterwards". | |||
| Turkmen | soňrak | ||
| Uzbek | keyinroq | ||
| The word "keyinroq" can also mean "following" or "consequent" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | كېيىنچە | ||
Later in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma hope | ||
| The word 'ma hope' can also mean 'in the future' or 'afterwards', and is related to the word 'hope' in English, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root *keh₂p- 'to grasp, seize'. | |||
| Maori | ā muri ake | ||
| Ā muri ake may also refer to "past" or to the posterior side of a body part. | |||
| Samoan | mulimuli ane | ||
| The reduplicated word "mulimuli ane" has the same meaning as "muamua ane" ("earlier") but has the added connotation of "more recently". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | mamaya | ||
| Mamaya also means 'tomorrow' or 'sometime' | |||
Later in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jayp'uru | ||
| Guarani | ka'aruve | ||
Later in International Languages
| Esperanto | poste | ||
| Esperanto's "poste" also translates to "at the post office" and "by mail", and its root, "post", derives from the Latin "posita", meaning "placed". | |||
| Latin | deinde | ||
| The word "deinde" can also mean "consequently" or "then". | |||
Later in Others Languages
| Greek | αργότερα | ||
| In Late Greek, the word also meant "tomorrow". | |||
| Hmong | tom qab | ||
| The Hmong word "tom qab" can also refer to the future, the past, or a specific point in time. | |||
| Kurdish | paşan | ||
| The Kurdish word "paşan" can also refer to an "uncle" but it is not used in all Kurdish subdialects e.g. it's not used in Sorani. | |||
| Turkish | sonra | ||
| Sonra also means 'at last' in Turkish and shares the same etymology with the word 'son' (end). | |||
| Xhosa | kamva | ||
| The noun 'kamva' can mean 'later today' but is also used in greetings to mean 'good afternoon'. | |||
| Yiddish | שפעטער | ||
| The Yiddish word 'שפעטער' ('later') also means 'to mock' or 'to make fun of'. | |||
| Zulu | kamuva | ||
| "Kamuva" is a Zulu word which has other meanings such as afterwards or later on. | |||
| Assamese | পাছত | ||
| Aymara | jayp'uru | ||
| Bhojpuri | बाद में | ||
| Dhivehi | ފަހުން | ||
| Dogri | बाद च | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | mamaya | ||
| Guarani | ka'aruve | ||
| Ilocano | damdama | ||
| Krio | leta | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دواتر | ||
| Maithili | बाद मे | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯣꯟꯅ | ||
| Mizo | a hnuah | ||
| Oromo | booda | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପରେ | ||
| Quechua | chaymanta | ||
| Sanskrit | कालान्तरे | ||
| Tatar | соңрак | ||
| Tigrinya | ዳሕራይ | ||
| Tsonga | endzhaku | ||