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.

Forms

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

Common expressions

Related time expressions

Usage

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)
Related: 深夜(しんや) (late at night)
Related: 午前零時(ごぜんれいじ) (exactly 12:00 AM)
Related: 未明(みめい) (before dawn)
Related: 宵(よい)の口(くち) (early evening, early part of the night)
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Added 2026.1.16 15:00 · Revised 2026.9.2 12:02
05000/05425_mayonaka