# 遅 — late; slow

遅 means “late; slow”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 12 strokes. On'yomi: チ (chi). Kun'yomi: おく(れる) (okureru), おそ(い) (osoi). You'll see it in words such as 遅れ (okure, “delay; lag”).

- Meaning: late; slow
- On'yomi: チ (chi)
- Kun'yomi: おく(れる) (okureru), おそ(い) (osoi)
- Strokes: 12
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Time 1

## How to remember 遅

Parts: 尸 flag · 羊 sheep · 辶 road

## Words with 遅

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 遅れ | おくれ (okure) | delay; lag |
| 遅い | おそい (osoi) | slow |
| 遅らす | おくらす (okurasu) | to delay; to postpone |

## Don't confuse it with

[達](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/attain/) · [洋](https://moji.ninja/n4-kanji/western/) · [美](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/beauty/) · [善](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/virtuous/)

## More in the “Time 1” set

[歴](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/past-record/) · [未](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/not-yet/) · [久](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/long-time/) · [延](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/postpone/) · [齢](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/age/) · [了](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/finish/) · [遅](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/late/)

---

From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/late/. Last updated 2026-11-01.