午後
gogo[ɡo̞ɡo̞]
The Japanese word for afternoon is 午後, pronounced gogo.
午後 refers to the part of the day between noon and evening. It is also used as the equivalent of 'P.M.' when specifying a particular time of day. Note that the word 昼 (hiru) can also mean 'noon' depending on the context.
Meaning: part of the day between noon and evening (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 午 (noon) and 後 (after).
How do you pronounce it?
gogo
Did you know?
- The character 午 for 'noon' actually represents the 'Horse' in the Chinese zodiac. This is because the horse corresponds to the hours between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the traditional system.
- The characters in 午後 are both pronounced 'go', making the word a homophone for the Japanese word for 'five' (五). Context is the only way to tell them apart when spoken.
- The word 午後 follows a pattern where the 'after' component 後 can also mean 'behind' or 'later', showing how time is perceived as a spatial progression.
Examples in context
- 午後二時です。It's two o'clock in the afternoon.This sentence shows how to use 午後 when stating a specific time of day.Tatoeba #174380 by small_snow, translation #240089 by CK
- 午後は休みだった。We had the afternoon off.This sentence demonstrates using 午後 to refer to the afternoon period.Tatoeba #174389 by bunbuku, translation #240079 by CK
- 午後はどうだった？How was your afternoon?This sentence shows how to ask about someone's afternoon using 午後.Tatoeba #1452390 by bunbuku, translation #953355 by CK
- 237 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing their plans for the day.
- 陽葵 Himari今日の午後は暇ですか？Kyō no gogo wa hima desu ka?Are you free this afternoon?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、午後は何も予定がありません。Hai, gogo wa nani mo yotei ga arimasen.Yes, I have no plans for the afternoon.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、一緒に勉強しましょう。Jā, issho ni benkyō shimashō.Then, let's study together.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいですね。そうしましょう。Ii desu ne. Sō shimashō.That sounds good. Let's do that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “afternoon” translations and entries 午後, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
