后悔
hòuhuǐ · HSK 5
regret
😔 后 = after/behind + 悔 = remorse — remorse that comes after
后 means 'after' or 'behind'; 悔 means 'remorse' (heart radical 忄 + 每). Together: the remorse you feel after the fact — regret. Common in 后悔莫及 'too late to regret'.
后 — 厂 cliff + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted a ruler or sovereign issuing commands, showing a figure with a mouth giving orders. It came to mean 'queen' or 'empress.' In modern simplified Chinese, 后 also absorbed the meaning 'behind/after' from the traditional character 後, so context decides which sense applies.