1.
late flowering; late blooming
Flowers or plants that bloom later in the season compared to others of the same type.
この桜は遅咲きだ。
These cherry blossoms are late-blooming.
遅咲きの品種はまだ見頃だ。
The late-blooming varieties are still at their best.
遅咲きの梅が庭の隅でようやく咲き始めた。
The late-blooming plum tree in the corner of the garden has finally started to flower.
2.
late bloomer; person who achieves success later in life
A person who develops talent, achieves recognition, or reaches success later than is typical. Often used approvingly, suggesting perseverance rather than failure.
彼は遅咲きの作家だ。
He is a late-blooming writer.
遅咲きの選手が大会で優勝した。
A late-blooming athlete won the tournament.
遅咲きだったが、四十代で画家として認められた。
He was a late bloomer, but gained recognition as a painter in his forties.
Literally 'late blooming,' this word originates from describing flowers that bloom later in the season. The figurative sense, describing people who find success later in life, carries a positive nuance — it implies hidden potential and perseverance rather than slowness or failure.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 遅咲きの桜: late-blooming cherry blossoms
- 遅咲きの作家: late-blooming writer
- 遅咲きの選手: late-blooming athlete
- 遅咲きの品種: late-blooming variety
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 早咲き: early blooming — the opposite, used both literally for flowers and figuratively for precocious people
- 大器晩成: great talents mature late — a four-character idiom expressing the same idea but in a more literary, proverbial register