黎明(れいめい)

れいめい
noun
dawn, daybreak; beginning of an era
1. dawn, daybreak
The period of soft light before sunrise. A literary and formal term for early morning.
黎明(れいめい)の光(ひかり)が差(さ)し込(こ)む。
The light of dawn streams in.
黎明(れいめい)に目(め)を覚(さ)ました。
I woke up at dawn.
黎明(れいめい)の空(そら)が美(うつく)しかった。
The dawn sky was beautiful.
2. dawn (of an era), beginning
The beginning or early stage of something new, such as a historical period, movement, or field of study.
コンピューター黎明期(れいめいき)の話(はなし)だ。
This is a story from the dawn of computers.
近代(きんだい)文学(ぶんがく)の黎明(れいめい)を研究(けんきゅう)している。
I am researching the dawn of modern literature.
産業革命(さんぎょうかくめい)は新(あたら)しい時代(じだい)の黎明(れいめい)だった。
The Industrial Revolution was the dawn of a new era.

WORD FORMATION:
黎(れい) (dark) + 明(めい) (bright) - the transition from dark to light

REGISTER:
黎明(れいめい) is a literary/formal term. For everyday use, 夜明(よあ)け or 明(あ)け方(がた) are more common for sense 1.

COMMON COMPOUND:
黎明期(れいめいき) (dawn period, early stage) - very common when describing the beginning of fields, technologies, or eras.

RELATED TERMS:

  • 曙(あけぼの): dawn (literary)
  • 暁(あかつき): dawn, daybreak
  • 夜明(よあ)け: dawn (common)
  • 薄暮(はくぼ): dusk (opposite time)
general
Added 2026.2.5 21:58
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