晚 wǎn — evening; night; late
今天晚上我们一起吃饭。Jīn tiān wǎn shàng wǒ men yì qǐ chī fàn.Tonight we will have dinner together.
Common words: 晚上 (wǎn shang)、晚饭 (wǎn fàn)、晚安 (wǎn ān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "late"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "late", including 晚 (wǎn), 迟 (chí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "late" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 晚 (wǎn), 迟 (chí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wǎn, chí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 晚 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 晚 wǎnevening; night; lateUseful words: 晚上, 晚饭
- 迟 chílate; delayed; slowUseful words: 迟到, 推迟
Common words for these 2 "late" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 晚 (wǎn) — so "late" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 "late".
迟 chí — late; delayed; slow
因为堵车，他上班迟到了。Yīn wèi dǔ chē, tā shàng bān chí dào le.Because of traffic, he was late for work.
Common words: 迟到 (chí dào)、推迟 (tuī chí)、迟疑 (chí yí)
All 2 characters
Open 晚、迟 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.