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後がつかえる (あとがつかえる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

後あとがつかえる

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

make someone wait; take more time than expected

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression describing a situation where something is held up or delayed, causing a backlog or making others wait. Often used when a task or person is taking longer than anticipated, creating a queue or delay.

See also: 閊える (つかえる)

前まえの人ひとが手て間ま取どっていて、後あとがつかえてしまった。
The person in front was taking a long time, so it caused a backup and made everyone wait.

この作さ業ぎょうは思おもったより時じ間かんがかかって、後あとがつかえる。

This task is taking more time than I thought, and it's holding up the next steps.

Written forms

後あとがつかえる
Standard kana-mixed spelling; the kanji 後 is used for 'after' or 'behind'.
後あとが支つかえる
Alternate kanji spelling using 支える; less common but attested.

Kanji

後behind, back, later
支branch, support, sustain

Similar words

つかえる
The verb つかえる alone means 'to be blocked' or 'to be held up'; 後がつかえる specifically refers to a delay that causes a line or backlog behind.

Etymology

From 後 (あと, 'after' or 'behind') + が (subject marker) + つかえる ('to be blocked' or 'to be held up'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is a common idiomatic expression.