遅れます（おくれます、okuremasu）
- to be late

The Japanese word 遅れます (okuremasu) means "to be late," "to be delayed," or "to be behind schedule." It implies a situation where something doesn't happen at the expected time or arrives after the appointed time. 遅れます primarily describes being late for appointments, meetings, or any scheduled events. It can also describe delays in transportation, processes, or the progress of a task. The degree of lateness can range from a few minutes to significantly late, depending on the context.

⚫︎電車に遅れました。 Translation: I was late for the train. ⚫︎会議に遅れてすみません。 Translation: Sorry for being late to the meeting. ⚫︎宿題が遅れています。 Translation: My homework is behind schedule.

You use 遅れます in situations where you want to express that you will be late, have been late, or something else is 遅れd. It is a common and versatile verb used in both formal and informal settings. You can use it when talking about your own lateness or when discussing delays in events, transportation, or schedules. It is often followed by particles like に (ni) to indicate the reason for being late (e.g., 電車に, "for the train") or で (de) to indicate the cause of the delay. You can use various forms of the verb, such as: ⚫︎遅れます (okuremasu): present polite form, "will be late / is late" ⚫︎遅れました (okuremashita): past polite form, "was late" ⚫︎遅れる (okureru): plain form, "to be late" ⚫︎遅れて (okurete): "being late," can be combined with other verbs.

遅れます is written using the kanji 遅 (oku, oso-) meaning "late" or "slow," and the hiragana れます (remasu), which is the polite conjugation of the verb. It's usually written as 遅れます in Japanese. The okurigana is standard, with the kanji 遅 followed by the hiragana れます. There are no other standard ways to write this word. The stem of the verb is 遅れ (okure). The kanji 遅 is also used in other words related to lateness or slowness.

⚫︎間に合わない (ma ni awanai): to not make it in time, to miss. ⚫︎遅刻する (chikoku suru): to be late (for school or work specifically) ⚫︎延期する (enki suru): to postpone, to delay (an event)

⚫︎早いです (hayaidesu): is early, to be early ⚫︎間に合う (mani au): to make it in time

今日の会議は少し遅れています。 ・Translation: Today's meeting is a little delayed. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the present continuous form of 遅れる to describe that the meeting is currently experiencing a delay.

すみません、電車が遅れて、約束の時間に間に合いませんでした。 ・Translation: I'm sorry, the train was delayed, and I couldn't make it on time for our appointment. ・Explanation: This sentence combines the reason for being late, which is the train's delay, with the consequence of missing the appointment.

The kanji 遅 (oku, oso-) means "late," "slow," or "delayed." The verb stem 遅れ (okure) is derived from this kanji. The suffix ます (masu) is added to create the polite form of the verb, indicating respect. The origin of the word directly relates to the concept of being behind schedule or arriving later than expected.