The kanji 後 primarily conveys the idea of "behind," "after," or "later." It signifies something that comes subsequently in time or position. It can also imply "rear" or "back" in a physical sense. This kanji captures the concept of sequence and what follows something else.

・On-yomi (音読み): ゴ コウ ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): あと うしろ のち

⚫︎ 後で電話します。 Translation: I will call later. ⚫︎ 後ろを見て！ Translation: Look behind you! ⚫︎ この事件の後、彼は変わった。 Translation: After this incident, he changed.

The kanji 後 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいいもじ). The left side is a radical (偏, へん), and the right side is a phonetic component (声符, せいふ). The radical "彳" (ぎょうにんべん), related to walking or movement, and the character "（夂）" (すい, sometimes written with a different shape) signifies "foot" or "trace". The phonetic component, "（㐆）", provides the sound. Together, they suggest something that trails or follows, hence the meaning of "behind" or "after". The character's evolution reflects a combination of action and sequence, where movement creates a "behind" or "after" effect.