Translation and Meaning of: 夜 - yoru

The expression 「夜」, read as "yoru" in romaji, refers to night in its broadest sense in the Japanese language. The word is often used to indicate the period after sunset and before dawn, when the sky darkens and most people rest. In Japanese culture, the night holds a special and distinct meaning, being associated with both rest and cultural and spiritual activities, such as stargazing or festivities that occur at night.

Etymologically, 「夜」 can be traced through different aspects of the Chinese characters (kanji) that have been incorporated into Japanese. The kanji 「夜」 is composed of the radical 「夕」, which even alone refers to sunset or the arrival of night, combined with the radical 「亦」, which has the connotation of repetition or continuation. This combination enhances the cyclical nature of night, being a moment that continues and repeats daily.

Moreover, the word "yoru" is not limited to merely describing it as a simple time marker. It is rich in cultural meaning. In Japanese literature, night often plays a symbolic role, serving as a metaphor for introspective or mysterious states of mind. Various traditional Japanese stories and poems use night as a backdrop for mystery, beauty, or even the revelation of the inner self.

During events and celebrations, such as the famous summer festivals, the 「夜」 transforms into a vibrant space for gathering and sharing. These nighttime festivities highlight the tension between the tranquil silence associated with rest and the pulsating energy of social activities. Thus, the night is not just a part of the day, but a space rich in possibilities and meanings both in daily life and Japanese culture.

Vocabulary

Expand your vocabulary with related words:

Synonyms and similar words

• 夕方 (Yūgata) - Late afternoon, the period that precedes the night.
• 夕暮れ (Yūgure) - Twilight, the moment when the sun sets, a transition between day and night.
• 夜間 (Yakan) - Night period, usually used in formal or technical contexts.
• 暗闇 (Kurayami) - Darkness, absence of light, often associated with night.
• 夜中 (Yonaka) - Midnight, the deepest point of the night.
• 夜更け (Yofuke) - Until dawn, late at night.
• 夜明け (Yoake) - Dawn, the moment when the day begins.

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夜

Romaji: yoru
Kana: よる
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n3, jlpt-n5

Translation / Meaning: afternoon;night

Meaning in English: evening;night

Definition: The hour of light and the hour of darkness after sunset.

Example Sentences - (夜) yoru

See below some example sentences:

ナイターは夜の野球の試合を指します。

Naitā wa yoru no yakyū no shiai o sashimasu

The night game refers to a baseball game at night.

• ナイター - Japanese term that refers to nighttime baseball games
• 夜 - night
• 野球 - baseball
• 試合 - game
• 指します - refers to

夜更かしは健康に悪いです。

Yofukashi wa kenkou ni warui desu

Staying up late is bad for your health.

Night time is bad for your health.

• 夜更かし - means "staying up late" in Japanese.
• は - Grammatical particle that indicates the topic of the sentence.
• 健康 - It means "health" in Japanese.
• に - grammatical particle that indicates the relationship of something to something else.
• 悪い - means "bad" in Japanese.
• です - Japanese verb "to be", used to indicate a formal statement.

夜が更ける前に帰りたいです。

Yoru ga fukeru mae ni kaeritai desu

I want to get home before the night gets late.

I want to go home before night falls.

• 夜が更ける - night falling
• 前に - before
• 帰りたい - I want to go back
• です - is

夜行バスに乗ります。

Yakou basu ni norimasu

I'll take a night bus.

Take the night bus.

• 夜行バス - Night bus
• に - particle that indicates destination or direction
• 乗ります - I am going to board

徹夜で勉強する必要がある。

Tetsuya de benkyou suru hitsuyou ga aru

I need to study all night.

You need to study all night long.

• 徹夜 - it means "to stay awake all night."
• で - It is a particle that indicates the means or the way in which something is done.
• 勉強する - means "to study".
• 必要がある - means "to be necessary".

日夜勉強する。

Nichiya benkyou suru

Study day and night.

Study day and night.

• 日 - means "day" in Japanese
• 夜 - It means "night" in Japanese.
• 勉強 - means "to study" in Japanese
• する - The word "fazer" means "to do" in Japanese.

私は今夜映画を見に行きます。

Watashi wa kon'ya eiga o mi ni ikimasu

I'm going to watch a movie tonight.

I will watch a movie tonight.

• 私 (watashi) - personal pronoun that means "I"
• は (wa) - particle that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "I"
• 今夜 (kon'ya) - adverb meaning "tonight"
• 映画 (eiga) - noun meaning "film"
• を (wo) - particle that indicates the direct object of the sentence, in this case, "movie"
• 見に行きます (mi ni ikimasu) - a phrase that means "to go to watch", in this case, "I am going to watch the movie"