夜
[jo̞ɾɯ̟]
The Japanese phrase for "night time" is 夜.
夜 is a neutral term that refers to the general period of night when it is dark outside and most people sleep.
Which one should you use?
While 夜 refers to the general period of night, the word 晩 (ban) is often used to refer specifically to the evening or the time around sunset. If you want to specify the middle of the night or the dead of night, use the word 夜中 (yonaka).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 夜 as an adverbial phrase meaning "at night", it is common to add the particle に (ni) after it, forming 夜に (yoru ni).
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word for 'night' 夜 is closely linked to the word for 'daytime' 昼 (hiru), as both likely evolved from a root word plus the suffix 'ru'.
- The character 夜 can be read as yo or yoru. In modern Japanese, the shorter yo is typically reserved for literary or poetic contexts.
- The word 夜 can function as a more literary or poetic way to express 'night' in modern Japanese compared to other colloquial alternatives.
Examples in context
- 夜間、電車は本数が減ります。The trains are less frequent at night time.This sentence is useful for describing how train frequency changes during the period of 夜.Tatoeba #3362310 by arnab, translation #3366262 by roobarb
- 今晩は友人の結婚式です。Tonight is my friend's wedding ceremony.
- 夜に映画を見に行きましょう！Let's go watch a movie at night!
- 今晩、ご一緒していただけませんか？Could you join me tonight?
- 夜、星がとても綺麗です。yoru, hoshi ga totemo kirei desu.At night, the stars are very beautiful.
- 夜は静かな場所が好きです。yoru wa shizuka na basho ga suki desu.I like quiet places at night.
Example conversation
Daito and Misaki are talking about their schedules.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんは、夜に勉強しますか。Misaki-san wa, yoru ni benkyō shimasu ka.Misaki, do you study at night?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、夜の方が集中できます。Hai, yoru no hō ga shūchū dekimasu.Yes, I can concentrate better at night.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうなんですね。僕は夜は眠いです。Sō nan desu ne. Boku wa yoru wa nemui desu.I see. I am sleepy at night.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さんは早く寝てくださいね。Daito-san wa hayaku nete kudasai ne.Daito, please go to sleep early.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 夜, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 夜, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
