夜 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 夜 mean in Japanese?

夜 means night in Japanese. It is the kanji in 今夜 (konya, tonight) and 夜中 (yonaka, the middle of the night), and it pairs with 朝 (morning) and 昼 (daytime) to complete the day.

夜 has two main readings. Read it as よる (yoru) when it stands alone, and as ヤ (ya) in compounds such as 今夜 (tonight) and 夜景 (yakei, night view). The shorter form よ (yo) appears inside words such as 夜中 (yonaka) and 夜空 (yozora, night sky).

Reading

On’yomi: ヤ (ya)

Kun’yomi: よる (yoru), よ (yo)

Basic Information

Kanji 夜
Meaning night, evening
Stroke Count 8
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

夜 is the standard word for night, used alone as よる and in compounds with ヤ or よ. 今夜 (tonight) and 今晩 (this evening) overlap, with 今夜 slightly more common in writing. 夜中 points to the deep hours when most people sleep, while 夜景 (night view) and 夜空 (night sky) carry a scenic, almost romantic tone. Students will also meet 徹夜 (tetsuya), the all-nighter.

Common Words

  • 夜（よる / yoru） — night
  • 今夜（こんや / konya） — tonight
  • 夜中（よなか / yonaka） — middle of the night
  • 夜景（やけい / yakei） — night view
  • 夜空（よぞら / yozora） — night sky
  • 徹夜（てつや / tetsuya） — staying up all night

Example Sentences

  • 昨日の夜、映画を見ました。

    きのうのよる、えいがをみました。 / Kinou no yoru, eiga o mimashita.

    I watched a movie last night.

  • 今夜は友達と晩ご飯を食べます。

    こんやはともだちとばんごはんをたべます。 / Konya wa tomodachi to bangohan o tabemasu.

    Tonight I will eat dinner with my friend.

  • 夜中に雨の音で目が覚めました。

    よなかにあめのおとでめがさめました。 / Yonaka ni ame no oto de me ga samemashita.

    I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain.

Related Kanji

  • 朝

    — 朝 means morning, the opposite end of the day from 夜; together with 昼 they form the basic time-of-day set.

  • 月

    — 月 means moon, the symbol of the night sky; 夜 and 月 appear together constantly in descriptions of evening scenes.

  • 空

    — 空 means sky, and 夜空 (night sky) combines the two into one of the most evocative everyday words built with 夜.

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

昨日の夜 (last night) and 今夜 (tonight) cover most everyday needs. 夜中に (in the middle of the night) is the natural way to describe something happening at 2 a.m. Travelers meet 夜景 in guidebooks describing famous night views, and every student eventually learns 徹夜する (to stay up all night), hopefully not too often.

Summary

夜 means night and appears in everyday words like 今夜 and 夜中 along with scenic words such as 夜景 and 夜空, closing out the daily cycle.