真夜中(まよなか)

まよなか
noun
middle of the night; midnight
1. middle of the night; midnight
The period of time around 12 o'clock at night, or the deepest part of the night.
真夜中(まよなか)に起(お)きた。
I woke up in the middle of the night.
真夜中(まよなか)まで仕事(しごと)した。
I worked until midnight.
真夜中(まよなか)に電話(でんわ)が鳴(な)った。
The phone rang in the middle of the night.
真夜中(まよなか)の町(まち)は静(しず)かだった。
The town was quiet in the middle of the night.
真夜中(まよなか)に目(め)が覚(さ)めて、外(そと)を見(み)たら雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)っていた。
I woke up in the middle of the night, and when I looked outside, it was snowing.

真夜中(まよなか) refers to the middle of the night - either midnight specifically or the late night hours in general.

WORD FORMATION:
真(ま) (true/middle) + 夜中(よなか) (nighttime) = the very middle of the night

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

RELATED TIME EXPRESSIONS:

NOTE:
Unlike 午前零時(ごぜんれいじ), 真夜中(まよなか) is flexible and can refer to any time when it feels like the "dead of night."

Related Words

Synonym: 夜中(よなか) (middle of the night)
core
Added 2026.1.16 15:00 · Revised 2026.6.6 23:06
05000/05425_mayonaka