夜
yoru[jo̞ɾɯ̟]
The English phrase "night" is translated into Japanese as 夜 (yoru).
夜 refers to the period between sunset and sunrise. To say "tonight", you can add the prefix 今 (this) to create 今夜 (kon'ya). Another way to express "tonight" is by using the phrase 今晩 (konban). To say "Good night" when bidding farewell before sleep, use the phrase おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai).
Meaning: period between sunset and sunrise (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 夜 refers to the general period of night, 晩 (ban) is a more formal or literary term often used in specific compounds or to refer to the evening.
How do you pronounce it?
yoru
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese timekeeping, the 'night' was divided into 'watches' called 番 (ban), which is the same character used in 今晩 (konban).
- The phrase おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) is derived from the verb 'to rest', meaning you are literally telling someone 'please rest'.
- Japanese has a specific word 夜更かし (yofukashi) for the act of staying up late into the night.
Examples in context
- 闇夜だった。It was a dark night.This sentence uses 夜 to describe a dark night.Tatoeba #191229 by small_snow, translation #28390 by CK
- 夜の八時です。It's eight o'clock at night.This sentence uses 夜 to specify a time at night.Tatoeba #79715 by bunbuku, translation #324002 by CK
- 私は徹夜した。I sat up all night.This sentence uses 夜 in the context of staying up all night.Tatoeba #154950 by bunbuku, translation #256105 by CM
- 762 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their weekend plans.
- 蓮 Ren今夜、一緒に遊びませんか？konya, issho ni asobimasen ka?Would you like to hang out together tonight?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。夜は何をしますか？ii desu ne. yoru wa nani o shimasu ka?That sounds good. What shall we do at night?
- 蓮 Ren映画を観に行きましょう。eiga o mi ni ikimashou.Let's go see a movie.
- 美咲 Misaki楽しみです！tanoshimi desu!I'm looking forward to it!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night” translations and entries 夜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
