Japanese word

夜更け

Pronunciation

Romajiyofuke

Meaning

  • nounlate at night

Example

夜更けに雨が降りました。yo fu ke ni ame ga fu ri ma shi ta

It rained late at night.

Illustration for 夜更け (late at night)

More examples

夜更けまで友人と話していました。yo fu ke ma de yū jin to hana shi te i ma shi ta

I was talking with a friend until late at night.

Core concept

Indicates that the night has progressed to a notably late time rather than naming an exact hour.

Common phrases

  • 夜更けにyo fu ke ni

    late at night

  • 夜更けまでyo fu ke ma de

    until late at night

Similar words

深夜shinya: The late hours of the night, often after the usual time for going to bed.
真夜中mayonaka: The middle of the night, around twelve o'clock.
夜半yahan: The middle part of the night, especially in formal or literary language.

Definition in Japanese

夜が進み、かなり遅い時刻になったころ。yoru ga susu mi ka na ri oso i ji koku ni na tta ko ro

Word origin

夜 (yo, "night") is joined to the stem of 更ける (fukeru, "to become late"), creating the noun 夜更け (yofuke) for a late time at night.

Usage tips

  • The phrase 夜更けまで (yofuke made) shows that an activity continues until late at night.

Other meanings

  • small hours of the morningnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 夜更けるyorufukerugrow lateverb

Word lists with this word