将来|しょうらいshourai[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noun, adverbfuture; (future) prospects
   これを将来しょうらい使つかえるように取とっておこう。↗

   I'll keep this for future use.
2. noun, suru verb, transitive verbbringing (from abroad, another region, etc.)
3. noun, suru verb, transitive verbbringing about; giving rise to; causing; incurring

• Synonym今後こんごNeutralCovers the period starting now and works in both formal and everyday speech, as in 「今後ともよろしく」 or 「今後どうする？」; 「将来」 looks further ahead to one's prospects.
• Synonym先々さきざきCasualColloquial word for the distant future, often with a note of worry, as in 「先々のことを考える」; it can also mean everywhere one goes.
• Synonym未来みらいNeutralA neutral, objective word for time after the present, often with an idealistic ring as in 「未来都市」; 「将来」 usually refers to one's personal prospects.
• Synonym先行きさきゆきWrittenWritten word for how things will go from here on, used mostly of the economy, as in 「景気の先行き」.
• SynonymこれからCasualColloquial for the time starting right now, as in 「これから出かける」 or 「これからの十年」; 「将来」 leans more toward one's prospects.
• Synonym向後こうごWrittenWritten word meaning hereafter, with an old-fashioned ring; rarely seen in modern usage.
• Synonym後々あとあとCasualColloquial for later on, often when worrying about the consequences, as in 「後々困る」.
• Synonymこの先このさきCasualColloquial for the time ahead from now, and also for the road or space ahead, as in 「この先どうなるか」.
• Related以後いごWrittenWritten-flavored word for the time after a given point, that point included, as in 「三時以後」.
• Related以降いこうWrittenWritten word for the period from a point onward, common for dates in notices, as in 「明日以降」.
• RelatedフューチャーCasualLoanword for the future, heard mainly in song and other titles; not used in everyday conversation.
• Relatedこの後このあとCasualColloquial for right after now, what comes next, as in 「この後すぐ」 or 「この後どうなるか」; 「将来」 points to the more distant future.
• Related後の世のちのよWrittenWritten word for later ages or the world after death, carrying a literary or religious flavor; not used in daily life.
• Antonym過去かこNeutralThe opposite of 「将来」: time that has already gone by, also one's past that one would rather not bring up.
• Antonym現在げんざいNeutralThe opposite of 「将来」: the present moment, sitting between past and future.

Default to 「将来」 for the future or one's prospects. Use 「今後」 for a formal 'from now on', 「未来」 for the future as time, 「これから」 for 'starting now', 「この後」 for what comes next, 「先行き」 for the economic outlook, 「以降」 for dates onward, and 「過去」 for the past.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. これから先さき。
2. これから先さきに。今後こんご。