遅らせる・後らせる|おくらせるokuraseru[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
遅らせる遅らせる is the more common written form. It is the recommended choice for beginners and is the form to use by default.
後らせる後らせる is a less common written variant of 遅らせる. Beginners should generally choose 遅らせる instead when selecting between these spellings.
Definitions
- ichidan verb, transitive verbto delay; to postpone; to put off; to slow down; to hold up; to retard; to put back (a clock)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 遅らせる（おくらせる） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 遅らせます（おくらせます） |
| Negative (nai) | 遅らせない（おくらせない） |
| polite (masen) | 遅らせません（おくらせません） |
| classical zu / nu | 遅らせず・遅らせぬ（おくらせず・おくらせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 遅らせた（おくらせた） |
| polite (mashita) | 遅らせました（おくらせました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 遅らせなかった（おくらせなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 遅らせませんでした（おくらせませんでした） |
| Te form | 遅らせて（おくらせて） |
| Potential | 遅らせられる（おくらせられる） |
| Passive | 遅らせられる（おくらせられる） |
| Causative | 遅らせさせる（おくらせさせる） |
| Causative passive | 遅らせさせられる（おくらせさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 遅らせれば（おくらせれば） |
| tara | 遅らせたら（おくらせたら） |
| Volitional | 遅らせよう（おくらせよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 遅らせましょう（おくらせましょう） |
| Imperative | 遅らせろ（おくらせろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Transitive / intransitive pair
出発を遅らせる
遅れる describes a thing becoming late or delayed by itself (電車が遅れる), while 遅らせる means someone or something causes a delay to something else (出発を遅らせる).
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym延期えんきNeutralNeutral. Means pushing a scheduled date back, as in 「試合が延期」; it centres on rescheduling, while 「遅らせる」 can also mean slowing something down.
- Synonym遅延ちえんNeutralNeutral. Refers to running later than scheduled, as in 「電車の遅延」; it describes a passive delay, not the act of deliberately holding something back.
- Synonym遅滞ちたいWrittenWritten/formal prose. Describes progress dragging or stalling, as in 「遅滞なく」; 「遅らせる」 is the active act of delaying.
- Synonym先送りさきおくりNeutralNeutral. Means putting a decision off until later, as in 「問題の先送り」; it carries a negative shade of dodging the issue.
- Related引き伸ばすひきのばすNeutralNeutral verb. Covers stretching things or enlarging photos, and also dragging time out; the stress is on lengthening, 「遅らせる」 on pushing back.
- Related繰り延べるくりのべるWrittenWritten/formal prose verb. Reschedules a date to a later one, mostly in formal settings; close to the postponing sense of 「遅らせる」.
- Related持ち越すもちこすNeutralNeutral verb. Means carrying something over to the next time, as in 「決着を持ち越す」.
- Related猶予ゆうよNeutralNeutral. Means granting an extension or grace period, as in 「執行猶予」; the stress is on giving extra time, not on delaying an action.
- Related繰り下げるくりさげるNeutralNeutral verb. Means moving a time or order back as a whole; the stress is on shifting everything later.
- Related延滞えんたいNeutralNeutral. Refers to falling overdue, as in 「延滞金」; it centres on payments or deadlines left unpaid or unmet.
- Related順延じゅんえんNeutralNeutral. Means postponing to the next slot in sequence, as in 「雨天順延」; the stress is on moving back in order.
- Related遷延せんえんWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means procrastinating or being slow to decide; rare, and it stresses dragging on rather than the act of delaying.
- Related延引えんいんWrittenWritten/formal prose. Means putting a date off; old-fashioned and rare — in everyday speech say 「延期」.
- Related日延べひのべNeutralNeutral. A native Japanese word for changing a date or extending a period; less common, and close to the postponing sense of 「遅らせる」.
- Antonym早めるはやめるNeutralNeutral antonym. Means moving something earlier or speeding it up; the opposite of postponing with 「遅らせる」.
- Antonym前倒しするNeutralNeutral antonym. Means carrying out something ahead of schedule; the opposite of putting things off with 「遅らせる」.
Use 「遅らせる」 to delay, put back or slow something, as in 「出発を遅らせる」 or 「時計を遅らせる」. For rescheduling a date say 「延期」, for a passive delay like a train running late 「遅延」, and for dodging a decision 「先送り」. The written words 遅滞, 繰り延べる, 遷延 and 延引 suit formal prose, while 延滞 covers overdue payments and 順延 moving to the next slot. The antonyms are 「早める」 and 「前倒しする」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
