遅い
osoi
'Too late now' is 遅い too — left behind the line
The picture A dot marked past the agreed line, left behind it. 遅い puts the dot behind the line; 早い puts it ahead.
Where the picture shows up in 遅い
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the hour behind the line
もう遅いので、そろそろ失礼します。
mō osoi node, sorosoro shitsurei shimasu
It's late, so I'd better be going.
Glancing at the wall clock past the time of the last train and standing up
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arrival behind the line
すみません、遅くなりました。
sumimasen, osoku narimashita
Sorry I'm late.
Opening the meeting-room door to find everyone already seated
遅くなりました is the set apology for arriving late.
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movement behind the line
このパソコンは動きが遅いです。
kono pasokon wa ugoki ga osoi desu
This computer is slow.
Clicking and waiting while the screen catches up a long moment later
遅い also covers slowness of speed.
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past the line where it would help
今から謝っても遅いです。
ima kara ayamatte mo osoi desu
It's too late to apologise now.
Raising a hand to a bus that has already pulled away
〜ても遅い = it can't be undone now.
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learning behind the line
覚えるのが遅くてすみません。
oboeru no ga osokute sumimasen
Sorry, I'm slow to learn.
Still holding page one while everyone else has turned to the next
All of it in one picture
遅い is one picture: the dot is left behind the line that was set. The hour has passed the line for going home, so you start saying goodbye; the arrival dot lands behind the agreed line, so you apologise. Each step of the work lags a notch behind, so the computer is slow; the apology lands past the line where it could still have fixed anything, so now it is too late. And when your learning dot sits behind everyone else's, you are slow to pick things up.