遅い

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 夜が遅い。▶ —
   It is late at night.
2. 電車が遅い。▶ —
   The train is slow.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Osoi (遅い) is the i-adjective covering both "late" and "slow." The opposite pair to hayai (early / fast). Kanji 遅 = 辶 (movement) plus 犀 (rhino, ox), picturing "moving like an ox" — slow. Multi-sense cluster: (1) lateness in time — yoru ga osoi (late at night), chikoku suru (be late, a verb); (2) slowness in speed — densha ga osoi (the train is slow), ugoki ga osoi (slow movement); (3) slow progress — henji ga osoi (slow reply), seichou ga osoi (slow growth). Cultural code: Japans jikan ni kibishii (strict on time) makes chikoku (lateness) a major negative evaluation in social and business life. Shinkansen averages 30-second delays, Tokyo subways under one minute — the teikoku unten (on-time operation, covered in hayai) cultural code. Business meetings expect 5 minutes early; one chikoku can hit trust hard. The 遅 kanji family: chien (delay), osozaki (late-blooming flower, the "late bloomer" metaphor), tachi-okureru (slow start). Korean splits neutda (late) and neurida (slow); Chinese splits wan and man; Japanese fuses both into osoi. JLPT N5 osoi integrates with the time-discipline cultural code.

Quick check

1. Recommended arrival time for Japanese business meetings?

   • Five minutes early (the jikan ni kibishii code)
   • Exactly on time
   • Five minutes late
   • Fifteen minutes early