How do you say "late" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "late" is 遅れた (Okureta). It is a adjective pronounced "oh-koo-reh-tah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

遅れた is written in kanji and hiragana. Romanised as Okureta, it sounds roughly like "oh-koo-reh-tah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

電車が遅れています。

Densha ga okurete imasu.

The train is running late.

Usage notes

Okureta (遅れた) is the past-participle form of okureru (to be late). Okurete imasu is the natural way to say something is currently delayed. For general lateness or slowness as a speed, osoi is the more common adjective.

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Questions about 遅れた

How do you pronounce 遅れた?

遅れた is romanised as Okureta. Say it roughly like "oh-koo-reh-tah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 遅れた formal or casual?

遅れた is a na-adjective or noun-adjective. It is neutral in register and fits naturally in both casual and polite sentences. Add na before a noun, or use desu for a polite predicate.

How is 遅れた written in Japanese?

遅れた is written using kanji and hiragana. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.