午後
gogo[ɡo̞ɡo̞]
The Japanese phrase for pm is 午後 (gogo).
午後 is used to indicate the afternoon or pm. Note that in Japanese, the time indicator 午後 is placed before the number, unlike in English where it is placed after the number (e.g., 午後１時 for 1 pm).
What does it mean word for word?
The word 午後 is composed of 午 (noon) and 後 (after), literally meaning 'after noon'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The counterpart to 午後 (pm) is 午前 (am), which literally means 'before noon'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is gogo.
Did you know?
- The character 午 in 午後 is part of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, representing the 'Horse' sign. In the traditional temporal system, this sign corresponds to the time between 11 am and 1 pm.
- While 午後 is the standard way to say 'pm', the word 午後 can also be used in formal business contexts to mean 'this afternoon' or 'later today'.
- If you are looking at a digital clock in Japan, you might see '24-hour' time used instead of 午前 or 午後 to avoid any possible ambiguity in schedules.
Examples in context
- 門限は午後１０時です。The curfew is at 10 pm.This sentence is useful for stating a specific time for a curfew using 午後.Tatoeba #9956870 by small_snow, translation #1702445 by Spamster
- ２月２８日の午後３時頃はどう。How about February 28th around 3:00 pm?This sentence is useful for suggesting a time around 3 pm using 午後.Tatoeba #235507 by arnab, translation #1454515 by CN
- 博物館は午後5時に閉館します。The museum closes at 5 PM.This sentence is useful for noting a closing time at 5 pm using 午後.Tatoeba #11483522 by small_snow, translation #5941206 by Hybrid
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are deciding when to meet for coffee.
- 陽太 Yota明日の午後１時は空いてる？Ashita no gogo ichi-ji wa aiteru?Are you free tomorrow at 1 pm?
- 結衣 Yuiごめん、その時間は無理だよ。Gomen, sono jikan wa muri dayo.Sorry, I can't make it at that time.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、午後４時ならどうかな？Jaa, gogo yo-ji nara dou kana?Then, how about 4 pm?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、陽太くん。それで大丈夫！Un, Yota-kun. Sore de daijoubu!Yes, Yota. That works!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 午後, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
