native

How do I say 'later'?

The natural way to ask someone to wait briefly — more conversational than just 等.

等一下

děng yíxià

Wait a sec / hang on / later.

LITERAL

Wait a moment.

WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

Wait a sec / hang on / later.

WHEN IT FITS

Asking someone to wait brieflyBuying time in a conversationPutting something off for a short while

等一下 is your everyday “hang on a sec” — add it before any request for patience. The 一下 softens 等 from a command (“wait!”) to a request (“wait a moment”). Without it, a bare 等!sounds abrupt.

以后 operates differently from English “later.” It means “after” and can attach to events: 吃完饭以后 (after eating), 毕业以后 (after graduation). As a standalone, 以后再说 is the classic deferral — it pushes something to an unspecified future time, and whether it actually comes back depends on the relationship.

回头 deserves special attention. On the surface it means “later,” but it has earned a cultural reputation as the word people use when they have no real intention of following through. 回头请你吃饭 is the Chinese equivalent of “let’s do lunch sometime” — warm in tone, zero in commitment. Context and relationship tell you which one it is.

HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT

等一下,我马上回来。

Děng yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng huílái.

Hang on, I'll be right back.

Brief wait
这个问题我们等一下再讨论。

Zhège wèntí wǒmen děng yíxià zài tǎolùn.

Let's discuss this issue later.

Deferring a topic

CHOOSE BY SITUATION

以后

yǐhòu

Later / after / in the future.

Referring to a general future time — 以后再说 = let's talk about it later (vague)

回头

huítóu

Later / another time / catch you later.

Very casual, often non-committal — 回头请你吃饭 = I'll treat you to a meal sometime (may or may not happen)