未明(みめい)

みめい
noun
predawn; before daybreak; early morning hours
1. predawn; before daybreak; early morning hours
The hours after midnight but before dawn — roughly from around 3 a.m. until first light. Common in news reports and weather forecasts to indicate when something occurred in the dark hours of early morning.
未明(みめい)に雨(あめ)が降(ふ)り始(はじ)めた。
It began to rain in the predawn hours.
事故(じこ)は今日(きょう)未明(みめい)に発生(はっせい)した。
The accident occurred in the early morning hours today.
明日(あした)の未明(みめい)から明(あ)け方(がた)にかけて、各地(かくち)で雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)る見込(みこ)みだ。
Snow is expected from the predawn hours into early morning tomorrow across many regions.

Literally 'not yet bright' — 未(み) (not yet) + 明(めい) (bright). Most often heard in news and weather reports as a precise time-window for events occurring after midnight but before sunrise.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 今日(きょう)未明(みめい): in the early hours of today
  • 未明(みめい)から明(あ)け方(がた)にかけて: from predawn through daybreak
  • 未明(みめい)に発生(はっせい)する: to occur in the predawn hours

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 明(あ)け方(がた): dawn; just before sunrise (slightly later than 未明(みめい))
  • 夜中(よなか): middle of the night (centered around midnight)
  • 早朝(そうちょう): early morning (after dawn, while still early)
  • 暁(あかつき): daybreak (literary)
general
Added 2026.5.14 12:14
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