늦다 vs 뒤늦다
Korean word comparison
Listen to 늦다
Listen to 뒤늦다
| 늦다 | 뒤늦다 |
|---|---|
neut-DA verb (descriptive/adjective in Korean grammar) | dwi-neut-da verb (descriptive/adjective in Korean grammar) |
| to be late; to be delayed; not on time | to be belated; to come or happen after the appropriate or expected time |
How they differ
뒤늦다 (often used as the adverb 뒤늦게) emphasizes that an action or realization happened after the proper time or too late to be fully effective, whereas 늦다 simply states lateness without the stronger connotation of being belated or missing the opportunity. 뒤늦다 carries a nuance of regret or that the timing was too late.
When to use each
When to use 늦다: Prefer 늦다 when you want to state that something or someone was late without necessarily implying it was too late or regrettable.
When to use 뒤늦다: Prefer 뒤늦다 (or 뒤늦게) when you want to express that an action or realization came belatedly and perhaps missed the chance or caused regret.
Side-by-side examples
- 사과하기에 늦었어요.
(It was late to apologize / I was late to apologize.) - 그는 뒤늦게 사과했어요.
(He apologized belatedly / He apologized too late.)
Register & nuance: 뒤늦다 is slightly more literary or emotive than 늦다 and is common in written language or when stressing belatedness; 늦다 is more neutral and everyday.