wee hours, evening, early night

About this kanji

The kanji 宵, pronounced as "よい" in kun'yomi and "ショウ" in on'yomi, primarily means evening or the wee hours of night. It is often used in nouns rather than verbs. Some common compounds include 今宵 (こよい), which means "this evening," and 春宵 (しゅんしょう), referring to a "spring evening." Another example is 徹宵 (てっしょう), meaning "all night." A useful note is that 宵 conveys a sense of quietness and beauty associated with the night, often evoking a peaceful atmosphere.

Example sentences

• 宵の静けさに耳をすませた。

  I listened closely to the quietness of the evening.

Meanings across languages

English

wee hours, evening, early night

Tiếng Việt

giờ khuya, buổi tối, đêm đầu tiên

日本語

宵, 夜, 早い夜

한국어

새벽, 저녁, 초저녁

中文

黎明, 晚上, 初夜

id

pagi

th

เช้าตรู่

es

madrugada

fr

tôt le soir

de

frühe Nacht

pt

madrugada

Common compounds

• 今宵こよいthis evening, tonight
• 春宵しゅんしょうspring evening
• 徹宵てっしょうall night, without sleep
• 半宵はんしょうmidnight
• 終宵しゅうしょうall-night long
• 宵寝よいねgoing to bed early, taking an afternoon nap
• 宵闇よいやみdusk, twilight
• 待宵まつよいnight where one waits for someone who is supposed to come, night of the 14th day of the eight month of the lunar calendar