遅おくれる

お

く

れ

る

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

遅れる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	遅おくれる	遅おくれない
Polite	遅おくれます	遅おくれません
Past polite	遅おくれました	遅おくれませんでした
Past	遅おくれた	遅おくれなかった
Te-form	遅おくれて	遅おくれないで
Desire	遅おくれたい	遅おくれたくない
Potential	遅おくれられるalso 遅おくれれる	遅おくれられないalso 遅おくれれない
Passive	遅おくれられる	遅おくれられない
Causative	遅おくれさせる	遅おくれさせない
Causative passive	遅おくれさせられる	遅おくれさせられない
Volitional	遅おくれよう
Polite volitional	遅おくれましょう
Imperative	遅おくれろ	遅おくれるな
Conditional	遅おくれれば	遅おくれなければ
Tara conditional	遅おくれたら	遅おくれなかったら

Pairs with遅らせる

Meanings

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be late; be delayed; fall behind schedule

General intransitive verb for not being on time, missing a deadline, or running behind schedule. Usually written 遅れる.

電でん車しゃが事じ故こで遅おくれた。
The train was delayed due to an accident.
会かい議ぎに遅おくれてすみません。
Sorry for being late to the meeting.

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

fall behind; lag behind; be behind the times

Used for falling behind in a race, studies, trends, or progress. Often written 後れる in this sense.

彼かれはクラスメートに勉べん強きょうで後おくれている。
He is falling behind his classmates in studies.
その会かい社しゃは時じ代だいに遅おくれている。
That company is behind the times.

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be preceded in death; be bereaved of

Euphemistic expression for someone dying before another person. Often used in the passive or past tense. Often written 後れる.

彼かれは妻つまに後おくれられた。
He was preceded in death by his wife.

ichidan verb, intransitive verb

be slow (clock or watch)

Specifically for timepieces that are running behind the correct time.

この時計とけいは5分ふん遅おくれている。
This clock is five minutes slow.

See all 914 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に遅おくれるto be late arriving at a place
電でん車しゃが止とまって学がっ校こうに遅おくれてしまった。
The train stopped and I ended up being late for school.
〈数かず〉分ふん遅おくれるto be delayed by ... minutes
バスは10分ぷん遅おくれて到とう着ちゃくした。
The bus arrived ten minutes late.
〈事こと〉に遅おくれるto fall behind in something (studies, work, trends)
入にゅう院いんしていたので勉べん強きょうに遅おくれてしまった。
I was hospitalized, so I fell behind in my studies.
時じ代だいに遅おくれるto be behind the times
彼かれの考かんがえ方かたは時じ代だいに遅おくれている。
His way of thinking is behind the times.
〈物もの〉が遅おくれるfor a clock or watch to run slow
この時計とけいは少すこし遅おくれているようだ。
This watch seems to be running a bit slow.

Expressions

遅おくればせながらbelatedly; better late than never
世よに遅おくれるfall behind the times; be out of touch with the world
時じ間かんの遅おくれtime dilation
遅おくれを取とるfall behind; lag behind; be outdistanced; be beaten
時じ間かんに遅おくれるbe late; be unpunctual
遅おくれを取とり戻もどすmake up for lost time; catch up; make up for a delay

Kanji

遅slow, late, back
後behind, back, later

Transitive / intransitive

遅おくらせるN1
遅れる is the intransitive verb meaning 'to be late/fall behind', while 遅らせる is its transitive counterpart meaning 'to cause something to be late'.

Related words

遅ち刻こくN4sense 1
遅刻 is a noun/する-verb for arriving late to an appointment, school, or work, while 遅れる is the general intransitive verb for being late or delayed in any context.
滞とどこおるN1
遅れる simply means to be late or behind schedule, while 滞る specifically implies a process has come to a halt and is piling up.
出で遅おくれる
遅れる is the general verb for being late or delayed at any point, while 出遅れる specifically means falling behind right from the start.
乗のり遅おくれるN3
遅れる is the general word for being late or falling behind, while 乗り遅れる specifically means missing a train, bus, or other scheduled transport (or figuratively, a trend).

Opposites· 9

間まに合あうN4sense 1
間に合う means to make it on time, the direct opposite of 遅れる's sense of being late for something.
進すすむN4sense 2
進む means to advance or make progress, the opposite of 遅れる's sense of falling behind in progress or trends.
先さき立だつ
後れる means to fall behind or lag in time or order, the opposite of 先立つ's sense of going before or taking precedence.

Show 6 more

早はやまるN2
早まる describes a schedule being moved earlier, while 遅れる describes it being delayed or pushed back.
抜ぬけ出だすN1
遅れる means to fall behind, the opposite of 抜け出す's sense of pulling ahead in a race or competition.
追おいつくN3
追いつく means to catch up to someone or something, while 遅れる means to fall behind or be late.
先さき駆がける
遅れる means to fall behind or be late, the opposite of 先駆ける's sense of being ahead of others.
ついていくN3
遅れる means to fall behind or lag, the opposite of the 'keep up with' sense of ついて行く.
追おい越こすN3
追い越す means to move ahead of someone, while 遅れる means to fall behind them.

Don't confuse with

遅おそいN5sense 1
遅い is an adjective describing something as slow or late, while 遅れる is a verb meaning to become late or fall behind, so they can't be swapped grammatically.

Word family· 17

遅おくれN1
delay; lag; falling behind · falling behind in; lagging behind in
手て遅おくれN1
too late; missed the chance
時じ代だい遅おくれ
old-fashioned; behind the times; outdated
乗のり遅おくれるN3
miss (a train, bus, etc.) · fail to keep up with; be left behind by
出で遅おくれる
get a late start; start behind others

Show 11 more

月つき遅おくれ
a month or older; one month behind · back number of a monthly magazine
出だし遅おくれ
belated; late; delayed
周しゅう回かい遅おくれ
lapped; one or more laps behind · behind the times; outdated
流りゅう行こう遅おくれ
out of fashion; outdated; behind the times
知ち恵え遅おくれ
intellectual disability; mental retardation
行いき遅おくれ
woman who missed the chance to marry (due to age)
遅おくればせ
belated; late; eleventh-hour
遅おくれ力りき率りつ
lagging power factor
振ふり遅おくれる
swing late (at a ball)
申もうし遅おくれる
to be late in introducing oneself; to apologize for a delayed introduction
行いき遅おくれる
be late getting married; miss the marriageable age · be late going somewhere; be delayed in departing

See all 17 in Explore →

Written forms

遅おくれるUsage85%
Standard kanji spelling for most senses, especially being late or delayed.
おくれるUsage13%
後おくれるUsage1%
Often used for falling behind in progress, studies, or times, and for being preceded in death.

Etymology

Derived from the adjective 遅い (おそい, 'slow, late') with the verb-forming suffix れる, indicating a state of being late or behind.