Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

遅かれ早かれ (osokarehayakare) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

遅おそかれ早はやかれ

お

そ

か

れ

は

や

か

れ

Meanings

1

expression, adverb

sooner or later

Set phrase meaning that something is inevitable and will happen at some point in the future, though the exact timing is unknown.

遅おそかれ早はやかれ、真しん実じつは明あきらかになるだろう

。

Sooner or later, the truth will come out.

遅おそかれ早はやかれ、彼かれは自じ分ぶんの間ま違ちがいに気きづくはずだ。

Sooner or later, he should realize his mistake.

Kanji

遅slow, late, back
早early, fast

Related words

早そう晩ばん
早晩 is a formal, written-style adverb meaning 'sooner or later', often used in news or essays, while 遅かれ早かれ is more conversational and emphasizes inevitability regardless of timing.
いずれN3
いずれ also means 'sooner or later' or 'eventually' as a single adverb and can sound slightly more formal or literary, whereas 遅かれ早かれ specifically stresses that the outcome is unavoidable no matter the timing.

Etymology

A set phrase combining the classical adjective endings 遅かれ (late) and 早かれ (early), literally 'whether late or early'. The construction uses the かれ form of adjectives, an old conditional/contrastive pattern meaning 'whether X or Y'.