hiru-vs-yoru

2022年4月15日2026年4月20日

Do you know the difference between ひる (hiru) and よる (yoru) in Japanese? Both words refer to times of day, but they cover different parts of the day and are used in different expressions. If you have ever been unsure whether a restaurant is open for “lunch” or “dinner” while reading Japanese, or if you want to say “at night” naturally in conversation, this guide is for you. We will cover meanings, usage patterns, key phrases, and common mistakes for these two essential Japanese time words.

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At a Glance: ひる vs. よる

Feature	ひる (hiru) 昼	よる (yoru) 夜
Core meaning	Daytime / noon / midday	Night / nighttime / evening
Kanji	昼	夜
Word type	Noun	Noun
Time range	Roughly 10am–4pm	Roughly 7pm–midnight (or later)
Meal association	昼ご飯 (lunch)	夜ご飯 (dinner)
Related adjective	昼間 (hiruma) = daytime	夜中 (yonaka) = midnight / middle of the night
JLPT level	N5	N5

ひる (昼) — Daytime, Noon, and Lunch

ひる covers the middle of the day — from late morning through mid-afternoon. Its kanji 昼 depicts the sun at its highest point. The word is used both as a standalone noun (“noon” / “daytime”) and as a prefix in compound words like 昼ご飯 (hirugahan — lunch) and 昼間 (hiruma — daytime/during the day).

In everyday speech, ひる is frequently used when talking about lunch or midday plans. It is also used in the phrase 昼寝 (hirune) — a daytime nap.

Example 1 — lunchtime:

昼ご飯はもう食べましたか？
Hirugahan wa mou tabemashita ka?
Have you already eaten lunch?

Example 2 — daytime activity:

昼間は仕事で忙しい。
Hiruma wa shigoto de isogashii.
I am busy with work during the day.

Example 3 — noon:

昼に待ち合わせしましょう。
Hiru ni machiawase shimashou.
Let’s meet at noon.

よる (夜) — Night and Nighttime

よる covers the nighttime hours — generally after dark until late at night or midnight. The kanji 夜 means night. よる is used as a noun referring to nighttime in general, as well as in compounds like 夜ご飯 (yorugahan or bangohan — dinner) and 夜中 (yonaka — midnight / dead of night).

Note: Japanese also has 晩 (ban) for “evening/night,” which is used in 晩ご飯 (bangohan — dinner). 晩 and 夜 overlap significantly; 夜 focuses on the nighttime in general, while 晩 emphasizes the evening mealtime context. Both are N5/N4 vocabulary.

Example 1 — nighttime activity:

夜は静かで好きです。
Yoru wa shizuka de suki desu.
I like the night because it is quiet.

Example 2 — dinner:

夜ご飯は何を食べたい？
Yorugahan wa nani wo tabetai?
What do you want to eat for dinner?

Example 3 — late at night:

夜中に電話が鳴った。
Yonaka ni denwa ga natta.
The phone rang in the middle of the night.

Time of Day Vocabulary in Japanese

To fully understand ひる and よる, it helps to see the full picture of Japanese time-of-day vocabulary:

Japanese	Reading	Meaning	Approximate Time
朝 (あさ)	asa	Morning	5am–10am
昼 (ひる)	hiru	Noon / daytime	10am–4pm
夕方 (ゆうがた)	yuugata	Late afternoon / early evening	4pm–7pm
夜 (よる)	yoru	Night	7pm–midnight
夜中 (よなか)	yonaka	Middle of the night	Midnight–4am

English speakers often ask: “What about ‘evening’?” Japanese has 夕方 (yuugata) for that in-between time at dusk, and 晩 (ban) for early evening. The word “evening” in English maps most closely to 夕方 in Japanese, but よる (yoru) is used when it is fully dark.

Common Compound Words

Compound	Reading	Meaning
昼ご飯	hirugahan	Lunch
昼間	hiruma	Daytime / during the day
昼寝	hirune	Nap (daytime)
昼休み	hiruyasumi	Lunch break
夜ご飯	yorugahan	Dinner (casual)
夜中	yonaka	Middle of the night
夜景	yakei	Night view / night scenery
夜行バス	yakou basu	Night bus

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

Because English “day” and “night” map roughly onto ひる and よる, most English speakers use these words correctly for basic sentences. The mistakes usually come with compound words and time expressions:

Mistake 1 — Saying 夜ご飯 when you mean lunch. Remember: 昼ご飯 = lunch, 夜ご飯 = dinner. Switching these is a very common beginner error.

Mistake 2 — Using よる for the whole evening. Early evening (before dark) is more naturally 夕方 (yuugata) in Japanese. よる starts when it is dark.

Mistake 3 — Using ひる to mean “afternoon.” Afternoon in Japanese is 午後 (gogo). ひる is noon/midday, not the entire afternoon.

Decision Flowchart: ひる or よる?

What time of day are you referring to?
        |
   ┌────┴────────────────┐
Around noon / daytime?   Night / after dark?
   |                         |
   v                         v
ひる (昼)               よる (夜)
   |                         |
昼ご飯 = lunch         夜ご飯 = dinner
昼間 = daytime         夜中 = middle of night
昼寝 = nap             夜景 = night view
昼休み = lunch break   夜行バス = night bus

Early evening (dusk)?
   └─ 夕方 (yuugata) ← Use this, not ひる or よる