1.
early afternoon, just after noon
The time period shortly after midday, roughly from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. Indicates the time has just passed noon.
昼過ぎに届きます。
It will arrive in the early afternoon.
昼過ぎから雨が降り始めた。
It started raining in the early afternoon.
昼過ぎまで寝てしまって、午後の予定に遅れそうになった。
I slept until early afternoon and nearly missed my afternoon plans.
USAGE:
A compound of 昼 (noon, midday) + 過ぎ (past, after). Refers specifically to the time just after noon, roughly 12:00-2:00 PM. Part of a common pattern for expressing approximate times: 朝 (morning), 昼 (noon), 昼過ぎ (early afternoon), 夕方 (evening), 夜 (night).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 昼過ぎに: in the early afternoon
- 昼過ぎから: from early afternoon
- 昼過ぎまで: until early afternoon
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 午後: afternoon (formal, precise)
- 昼: noon, midday
- 夕方: evening, late afternoon