然后
then; afterwards
HSK level
- Pinyin
- ránhòu
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 18
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 然后
然后 is written with 18 strokes (然: 12, 后: 6). The animation replays automatically.
What does 然后 mean?
然后 (ránhòu) is a sequencing conjunction meaning 'then; afterwards; and then.'
It links two actions or events in time order: first A, then B. Place it at the start of the second clause: 我先吃饭，然后看电视 ('I'll eat first, then watch TV'). Two contrasts with English 'then': first, 然后 is purely temporal — it does NOT mean 'in that case / if so,' which is 那 / 那么 in Chinese. Saying 'If you're tired, then rest' uses 那, not 然后.
Second, 然后 often pairs with 先 (xiān, 'first') in the front clause: 先...然后... is the standard frame for two-step instructions. Casual synonyms: 后来 (hòulái) for past sequences, 接着 (jiēzhe) for 'right after.'
Note: Extremely common in spoken Chinese for sequencing events. In casual storytelling, speakers chain 然后...然后...然后 the way English speakers chain 'and then... and then...' — used in moderation it's natural; overused it sounds childish.
Character by character
Memory hook: 然 (so / like that) + 后 (after) — 'after that, so...' = 'then.'
Example sentences
我先去超市，然后回家。
Wǒ xiān qù chāoshì, ránhòu huí jiā.
I'll go to the supermarket first, then go home.
spoken
他吃了饭，然后就睡觉了。
Tā chī le fàn, ránhòu jiù shuìjiào le.
He ate, and then he went to sleep.
spoken
你先做作业，然后可以看电视。
Nǐ xiān zuò zuòyè, ránhòu kěyǐ kàn diànshì.
Do your homework first, then you can watch TV.
neutral
然后呢？后来怎么样了？
Ránhòu ne? Hòulái zěnmeyàng le?
And then? What happened next?
spoken
Common phrases with 然后
Synonyms
后来 is used only for PAST events ('later on, afterwards'). 然后 works for past, present, or future. For 'I went home, and then later I called her,' use 后来 for the longer time gap; 然后 for the immediate next step.
接着 emphasizes 'directly continuing / right after,' often with no gap. 然后 is more neutral about timing — could be right after or some time later.
之后 is a more written/formal 'after that.' 然后 is the everyday spoken word.
Don't confuse 然后 with
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
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