後を追う
あとをおう
expression, verb (godan)
to follow after; to follow in someone's footsteps; to follow someone in death
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 後を追う | 後を追わない |
| Present polite | 後を追います | 後を追いません |
| Past | 後を追った | 後を追わなかった |
| Past polite | 後を追いました | 後を追いませんでした |
| て form | 後を追って | 後を追わなくて |
| ている present | 後を追っている | 後を追っていない |
| ている polite | 後を追っています | 後を追っていません |
| ている past | 後を追っていた | 後を追っていなかった |
| ている past polite | 後を追っていました | 後を追っていませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 後を追えば | 後を追わなければ |
| Conditional たら | 後を追ったら | 後を追わなかったら |
| Volitional | 後を追おう | — |
| Volitional polite | 後を追いましょう | — |
| Potential | 後を追える | 後を追えない |
| Passive | 後を追われる | 後を追われない |
| Causative | 後を追わせる | 後を追わせない |
| Imperative | 後を追え | 後を追うな |
1.
to follow after; to go after; to chase
To physically follow behind someone who has gone ahead.
2.
to follow in someone's footsteps; to follow the same path
To take the same course of action or career as someone who came before.
3.
to follow someone in death
To die soon after someone close has died, whether by suicide or from grief. A literary or formal expression.
As if following her husband in death, the wife also passed away a few days later.
When the beloved dog died, the owner's health declined as if following it.
A versatile expression whose meaning depends heavily on context. The physical sense (sense 1) is the most common in everyday use. The figurative sense (sense 2) appears in discussions of career and life choices. Sense 3 is literary and sensitive.
Usage
The verb conjugates as a godan verb (追う → 追った, 追って). The 後 refers to someone who has already gone, whether physically, in career, or in death.