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Grammar detail: 後(あと、のち、うしろ、ご)

後(あと、のち、うしろ、ご)  after and behind
507 words
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あと, のち, うしろ and ご have much in common - they all express the concept of something being 'after' or 'behind' something else, and they can all be written using the kanji 後. However, there are some distinctions.
あと and のち both refer to time. あと is by far the most common, and it is most commonly found in the construction
noun + の + あと(で)
or
verb past form + あと(で)
, or simply on its own:
しごと
仕事
あと
いっぱい
一杯
どう
How about going out for a drink after work?
わたし
べんきょう
勉強
した
あと
テニスした
I played tennis after I studied.
あと
でんわ
電話
します
I'll call you later.
Less commonly it is used with に or から, but they basically mean the same thing:
ぶか
部下
かれ
あと
つづ
いた

The men followed him.
わたし
あと
から
きます

I'll join you later.
のち tends to be found in set phrases, such as the
てんきよほう
天気予報
standard,
れのち
あめ
(fine weather followed by rain). It is also found in the phrase
のち
に, but this is almost always written in kana:
かれ
だい
おんがくか
音楽家
なるだろうという
ははおや
母親
よげん
予言
のち
げんじつ
現実
なった
His mother's prophecy that he would be a great musician was later fulfilled.
It is also very commonly found in the form のちほど:
なお
じかん
時間
のち
ほど
つた
えします

Furthermore, I'll let you know about the time later.
うしろ is used when referring to physical location - so it typically refers to a physical location of something behind something else:
その
ははおや
母親
うし
っていた

He stood behind his mother.
All three terms あと, のち and うしろ can be written with the same kanji, 後, so the following guidelines may help you to distinguish the reading in different situations.
のち is almost always written in kana, so if there are no okurigana (as in for example 後に), あと is much more likely.
うし
ろ is usually followed by the okurigana ろ - but not 100% of the time, and this can sometimes be tricky. For example, consider the very similar set phrases うしろにつく (to place behind) and あとをついていく (to take the same route afterwards). Since both the あと and the うしろ may be written with kanji and no okurigana, you have to remember the rule that うしろ works with location and あと works with time. So, うしろにつく means to place physically behind, whereas あとをついていく means to take the same route afterwards (in time). Notice the slightly different verb forms used - つく means 'stick to', so conveys the sense of being physically close, and うしろ tells us where. ついていく adds the いく construction which can be used on its own to mean go towards or with, and あと adds the time element.
This brings us to the final piece of the puzzle: the use of 後 as a suffix to a noun. It means 'after' in time in just the same way as あと and のち, but it is read ご:
さんじゅう
30
ねん

30 years later
In this case, the kanji is almost always used, rather than kana, and there are no okurigana, so it can be hard to tell whether the reading should be あと or ご. Two guidelines will help: first, あと is usually followed by で, and if you see で, the reading is あと not ご. Second, although both ご and あと can be followed by に, ご is very commonly used with time or date expressions, for example:
ふつか
2日
もの
なくなってしまった
After two days our food gave out.
The common set phrase その後 can be read as either そのご or そのあと. Some sources suggest そのご is more formal, but others suggest there is no distinction.
その
どうしています
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Kanji used in this grammar

ゴ   コウ   のち    あと afterwards   うし behind   おくれる be late   
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テン   あめ    あま- heaven   
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キ   ケ    spirit   
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ヨ    previously, in advance   
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ホウ    report   むくいる to compensate, remunerate   むく reward, recompense   
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セイ   はれる to clear up   はらす to dispel, to clear away   
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ウ   あめ    あま- rain   
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シ   ジ   つかえる to attend to   
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ジ   ズ   こと thing; matter   
イチ   イツ   ひと    ひと- one   
ハイ   さかずき cup, goblet   
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シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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ベン    exertion   
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キョウ   ゴウ   つよ strong   つよまる to get stronger   つよめる to strengthen   しいる to compel, to force   
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デン    electricity   
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ワ   はな to talk   はなし talking   
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ブ   part
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カ   ゲ   した below, under   しも bottom part   もと under (influence)   さげる to lower, to reduce   さがる to be lowered   くだ to descend   くだ to judge   くださる to give   おろす to drop off (passenger)   おりる to get off (train)   
ヒ   かれ he   
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ゾク   つづ to continue   つづける to carry on with   
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コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
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ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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オン   イン   sound   おと    ね    
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ガク   ラク    music   たのしい happy, pleasant   たのしむ to be happy   
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カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
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ボ   はは mother   
シン   おや parent   したしい close, intimate   したしむ to befriend, grow close to   
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ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   い to say   
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ゲン    present   あらわれる to appear   あらわ to show   
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ジツ    fruit; reality   み fruit, nut   みの to bear fruit   
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ジ   とき time, occasion   
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カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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デン   つたえる to tell, transmit   つたわる to be handed down   つた to go along   
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シ   ス   こ child   
リツ   リュウ   た to stand   たてる to build   
ネン   とし year   
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ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   く to eat   
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ブツ   モツ   もの thing   
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