1.
early morning; toward morning; the small hours before dawn
Refers to the time period in the very early morning, typically between about 3 AM and sunrise. Often used when describing events that happen in the late night transitioning into morning.
朝方まで起きていた。
I was up until early morning.
朝方に急に気温が下がった。
The temperature dropped suddenly in the early morning.
昨日は朝方まで友達と話し込んでしまい、寝不足で一日辛かった。
Yesterday I ended up talking with friends until early morning, and the lack of sleep made the whole day tough.
Refers to the period of very early morning, roughly from around 3 AM to sunrise. It emphasizes the transitional time from night to morning, rather than the morning after waking up.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 朝方に: in the early morning
- 朝方まで: until early morning
- 朝方から: from early morning
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 朝型: morning person — a lifestyle type, not a time of day (same reading but different kanji)
- 早朝: early morning — more formal, used in news and official contexts
- 明け方: dawn, daybreak — more specifically the time just as the sky starts to brighten
- 未明: before dawn — formal/news usage, typically for events occurring in the predawn hours