夜空
yozora[jo̞zo̞ɾa̠]
The English phrase "night sky" is translated into Japanese as 夜空 (yozora).
夜空 is a noun used to describe the sky as it appears during the night.
Meaning: sky seen at night (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of 夜 (yo), meaning "night" and 空 (sora), meaning "sky".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you wish to use "night sky" as a modifier for another noun, such as "night sky stars", you must add the particle の to the word to form 夜空の (e.g., 夜空の星).
How do you pronounce it?
yozora
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese astronomy, the 夜空 was historically divided into '28 lunar mansions' rather than the 12 zodiac constellations used in the West.
- When combining 'night' and 'sky' to form 夜空, the pronunciation of 'sky' shifts from 'sora' to 'zora' due to a linguistic phenomenon called 'rendaku'.
- The kanji for 'sky' 空 can also mean 'empty' or 'void' in Japanese and Buddhist philosophy.
Examples in context
- トムは夜空を見た。Tom looked at the night sky.This sentence is useful for describing the action of looking at the 夜空.Tatoeba #8672760 by small_snow, translation #8672739 by Hybrid
- 彼は夜空を見上げた。He looked up at the night sky.Tatoeba #99470 by bunbuku, translation #304228 by CK
- 夜空に星が瞬いていた。Stars were twinkling in the night sky.This sentence is useful for describing stars in the 夜空.Tatoeba #11195716 by small_snow, translation #10587293 by AlanF_US
- utsukushii yozora (美しい夜空)Beautiful night sky
- Yozora ga daisuki desu (夜空が大好きです)I love the night sky
- Yozora wa suteki desu ne (夜空は素敵ですね)The night sky is so captivating
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Youta and Misaki are looking up at the stars together.
- 陽太 Yota今日の夜空はとても綺麗だね。Kyou no yozora wa totemo kirei da ne.The night sky is very beautiful today, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当だね。星がたくさん見えているよ。Hontou da ne. Hoshi ga takusan miete iru yo.It really is. You can see so many stars.
- 陽太 Yotaあの夜空の星は何という名前だろう。Ano yozora no hoshi wa nan to iu namae darou.I wonder what that star in the night sky is called.
- 美咲 Misakiわからないけど、すごく輝いているね。Wakaranai kedo, sugoku kagayaite iru ne.I don't know, but it's shining brightly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night sky” translations and entries 夜空, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 夜空, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
