Japanese word

昨晩

Pronunciation

Romajisakuban

Meaning

  • nounlast night

Example

昨晩はよく眠れました。saku ban wa yo ku nemu re ma shi ta

I slept well last night.

Illustration for 昨晩 (last night)

More examples

昨晩は友達と電話で話しました。saku ban wa tomo dachi to den wa de hana shi ma shi ta

I talked with a friend on the phone last night.

Core concept

Marks the evening or night that came immediately before the present day.

Common phrases

  • 昨晩遅くsaku ban oso ku

    late last night

  • 昨晩のニュースsaku ban no nyū su

    last night's news

Similar words

昨夜sakuya: The night immediately before the present day, often used in written or formal language.
ゆうべyūbe: The previous evening or night, in a familiar conversational style.

Definition in Japanese

現在の日の前日の夜。gen zai no hi no zen jitsu no yoru

Word origin

昨 (saku, "previous") + 晩 (ban, "evening or night") forms a compound meaning the previous evening or night.

Usage tips

  • Unlike 昨日 (kinō), which covers the entire previous day, 昨晩 (sakuban) refers specifically to its evening or night.

Word lists with this word