HOU-4

('hou' in the fourth tone)

Some 21 standard Chinese characters are spoken 'hou'. For five of them, 后 is the sound-defining component. For a further nine, the sound is defined by 侯.

The most frequently encountered 'hou' spoken words are:

后 = hou(4) = behind

厚 = hou(4) = thick

候 = hou(4) = to wait, time

喉 = hou(2) = throat

后 = hou(4) = behind, back, after, last

请在黄线后排队! = Qing(3) zai(4) huang(2) xian(4) hou(4) pai(2) dui(4)! = Please line up behind the yellow line!

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后面 = hou(4)mian(-) = in the back, behind

Opposite of:

前面 = qian(2)mian(-) = in the front, ahead

Seen at Chinese immigration checkpoints:

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后来 = hou(4)lai(2) = then, afterwards

Click on the sample sentence below to hear it spoken:

刚开始我不喜欢他,后来我喜欢他. = Gang(1) kai(1)shi(3) wo(3) bu(4) xi(3)huan(-) ta(1), hou(4)lai(2) wo(3) xi(3)huan(-) ta(1). = Before I did not like him, (but) afterwards I liked him.

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后天 = hou(4)tian(1) = day after tomorrow, acquired (as opposed to congenital)

后天病 = hou(4)tian(1) bing(4) = acquired disease (as opposed to a congenital one)