後こう世せい

こ

う

せ

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Refers to people living in the future, or the world after one's death. Often used in historical, literary, or reflective contexts.

〈事こと〉を後こう世せいに残のこすto leave something (a work, achievement, name) for posterity
彼かれは多おおくの発はっ見けんを後こう世せいに残のこした。
He left many discoveries for posterity.
〈事こと〉を後こう世せいに伝つたえるto pass something down to future generations
この伝でん統とうは後こう世せいに伝つたえられてきた。
This tradition has been passed down to future generations.
後こう世せいの評ひょう価かhow future generations judge or evaluate someone/something
その政せい策さくの是ぜ非ひは後こう世せいの評ひょう価かに委ゆだねられる。
The merits of that policy will be left to the judgment of posterity.

子し孫そんN2
子孫 refers specifically to one's own descendants or offspring, while 後世 refers more broadly to future generations or the world after one's time.
未み来らいN3
未来 is the general word for 'the future' as a period of time, whereas 後世 emphasizes the people or legacy left behind for those who come after.
将しょう来らいN5
将来 refers to one's own personal or near-term future, while 後世 refers to the distant future world inhabited by generations yet unborn.

前ぜん世せ
前世 is one's past life before the present one, while 後世 points forward to the life or generations that come after.

後こう生せい
後生 is a homophone of 後世 that instead means 'the next life' or 'a younger/later generation of students', so the two are easily mixed up despite different kanji and meaning.

Compound of 後 (after, later) and 世 (world, generation). The reading こうせい is the on'yomi for both characters.