kaigi no ato, watasitati ha betubetu ni kaerimasita.

Here, の links the noun 会議 (meeting) to あと (after), so 会議のあと means after the meeting.

A good way to think of it is:

• 会議 = meeting
• あと = after / later
• 会議のあと = the time after the meeting

With nouns, Japanese often uses this pattern:

• 食事のあと = after the meal
• 授業のあと = after class

Because 会議 is a noun, and 会議のあと is a very natural noun-based way to say after the meeting.

Japanese has more than one way to say after:

• Noun + のあと → 会議のあと = after the meeting
• Verb (past) + あとで → 会議が終わったあとで = after the meeting ended
• Verb-te + から → often means after doing..., with a slightly different feel

So 会議のあと is short, simple, and very natural here.

は marks 私たち as the topic: as for us, or more naturally in English, we.

So the sentence structure is roughly:

• 会議のあと、 = after the meeting,
• 私たちは = as for us / we
• 別々に帰りました = went home separately

Using は gives a neutral, topic-setting feeling. It does not strongly emphasize we. If you used が, it would sound more like you were specifically identifying we as the ones who went home separately.

別々 means separately, individually, or apart from each other.

So 別々に帰りました means:

• we went home separately
• we each went our own way
• we did not go home together

It describes the manner of going home.

The に turns 別々 into an adverb-like expression, so it can modify the verb 帰りました.

Compare:

• 別々 = separate / separate ones
• 別々に = separately

This is very common in Japanese. Some nouns or na-adjective-like words take に when they describe how an action is done.

Examples:

• 静かに話す = speak quietly
• 自由に使う = use freely
• 別々に帰る = go home separately

別々 is read べつべつ.

The symbol 々 means repeat the previous kanji. So:

• 別々 = 別 repeated

You will see this in many common words:

• 人々 (ひとびと) = people
• 時々 (ときどき) = sometimes
• 国々 (くにぐに) = countries

So 々 is not a separate word; it is just a repetition mark.

Because the sentence is describing a completed event: After the meeting, we went home separately.

• 帰ります = go home / return home
• 帰りました = went home / returned home

The -ました form is polite, and the past version -ました with past stem gives 帰りました.

So this sentence is both:

• polite
• past tense

Not always. 帰る basically means to return, often to return home.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• go home
• return home
• go back
• return to one’s place/base

In this sentence, go home is the most natural translation.

It could definitely be omitted if the context already makes it clear who is being talked about.

Japanese often leaves out subjects when they are obvious. So this would also be natural:

• 会議のあと、別々に帰りました。

That could still mean After the meeting, we went home separately, if we is understood from context.

Including 私たち makes the subject explicit.

Yes. Japanese word order is fairly flexible, as long as the particles make the role of each part clear.

For example:

• 会議のあと、私たちは別々に帰りました。
• 会議のあと、別々に私たちは帰りました。
• 私たちは会議のあと、別々に帰りました。

The first one is the most natural and straightforward here. Other orders may sound marked or less natural depending on context, but they are still understandable.

The comma helps separate the time expression from the main statement:

• 会議のあと、 = after the meeting,
• 私たちは別々に帰りました。 = we went home separately.

Japanese commas are often used more flexibly than English commas. This comma makes the sentence easier to read, but punctuation can vary.

No. Normal Japanese writing usually does not use spaces between words.

The standard sentence would be written like this:

会議のあと、私たちは別々に帰りました。

Spaces are often added in beginner materials to make the sentence easier to read.