后 hòu — empress; queen; surname; back; behind; rear
吃过晚饭后，我们去散步。Chī guò wǎn fàn hòu, wǒ men qù sàn bù.After dinner, we went for a walk.
Common words: 最后 (zuì hòu)、后面 (hòu mian)、后天 (hòu tiān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "back"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "back", including 后 (hòu), 脊 (jǐ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "back" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 后 (hòu), 脊 (jǐ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span hòu, jǐ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 后 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 后 hòuempress; queen; surname; back; behind; rearUseful words: 最后, 后面
- 脊 jǐspine; back; ridgeUseful words: 脊梁, 中脊
Common words for these 2 "back" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 后 (hòu) — so "back" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
最后zuì hòufinal; last; ultimate; finally后面hòu mianthe back; the rear; the last bit; behind后天hòu tiānthe day after tomorrow; life after birth; acquired (not innate or congenital); a posteriori脊梁jǐ liángbackbone; spine; Taiwan pr.中脊zhōng jǐmid-ocean ridge (geology)里脊lǐ ji(tender)loin (of pork, beef etc)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "back".
脊 jǐ — spine; back; ridge
我们要挺直脊背，注意坐姿。Wǒ men yào tǐng zhí jǐ bèi, zhù yì zuò zī.We should keep our backs straight and mind our posture.
Common words: 脊梁 (jǐ liáng)、中脊 (zhōng jǐ)、里脊 (lǐ ji)
All 2 characters
Open 后、脊 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.