आधी रात
ādhī rāt/ɑː.d̪ʱiː ɾɑːt̪/feminine
In Hindi, midnight is आधी रात (ādhī rāt). Wiktionary also lists आधीरात (ādhīrāt) and अधरात (adhrāt).
Meaning: 12 o'clock at night exactly (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| आधी रात | ādhī rāt | /ɑː.d̪ʱiː ɾɑːt̪/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| आधीरात | ādhīrāt | feminine | |
| अधरात | adhrāt | feminine | |
| मध्यरात | madhyarāt | feminine | |
| मध्यरात्रि | madhyarātri | feminine |
The phrase refers to 12 o'clock at night exactly.
What does it mean word for word?
The common expression आधी रात is composed of आधी, meaning 'half' and रात, meaning 'night'.
Which one should you use?
The form आधीरात and the form अधरात are also available variants.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'at midnight', add the postposition को to the phrase, creating आधी रात को. If you wish to imply 'in the middle of the night' depending on the context, you can use आधी रात में. All forms of this word are feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of आधी रात is ādhī rāt.
Did you know?
- The word रात is a linguistic relative of the English word 'night'. Both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
- The word रात is a 'tadbhava' word, meaning it evolved from the more formal Sanskrit 'rātri' through natural phonetic changes over centuries in the spoken language.
- The variant अधरात sounds quite poetic and is often found in classical Hindi literature or songs rather than everyday conversation.
Examples in context
- मैं कबाड़े उठाने 12 बजे रात को जाता हूँ।I go to collect garbage at midnight.
- आधी रात को बहुत ठंड है।aadhee raat ko bahut thand hai.It is very cold at midnight.
- वह आधी रात को घर आया।vah aadhee raat ko ghar aaya.He came home at midnight.
- आधी रात को फिल्म शुरू होगी।aadhee raat ko film shuroo hogee.The movie will start at midnight.
Example conversation
Amit and Pooja are talking about a late-night party.
- अमित Amitक्या हम आधी रात को मिलेंगे?kya hum aadhee raat ko milenge?Will we meet at midnight?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, आधी रात को मिलना सही रहेगा।haan, aadhee raat ko milna sahi rahega.Yes, meeting at midnight will be fine.
- अमित Amitपूजा, क्या तुम तैयार होोगी?pooja, kya tum taiyaar hogee?Pooja, will you be ready?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, मैं तैयार रहूँगी।haan, main taiyaar rahungi.Yes, I will be ready.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midnight” translations and entries आधी रात, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries रात, CC BY-SA 4.0.
