Onyomi: チュウ · Kunyomi: ひる · Meanings: daytime, noon
Kanji for daytime, noon
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The kanji 昼 combines the sun (日) with the symbol for brightness or halfway through the day. It represents the time when the sun is high in the sky — midday or noon. In ancient Japan, this was the most active and lively time, when people worked and nature thrived under full daylight. Thus, 昼 came to mean “daytime” or “noon,” the bright heart of the day.
The shining sun at its highest point — 昼 means daytime or noon, when the world is full of light and energy.
Picture the sun (日) directly overhead — that’s 昼, the time of day when everything glows under the bright midday sun.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 昼 | ひる | noon, midday | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 昼食 | ちゅうしょく | lunch, midday meal | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 昼寝 | ひるね | (afternoon) nap, sleeping during the day, siesta | common JLPT-N2 Noun, Suru verb, Intransitive verb |
| 昼ご飯 | ひるごはん | lunch, midday meal | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 昼間 | ひるま | daytime, during the day, time from sunrise until sunset, diurnal period | common JLPT-N4 JLPT-N1 Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 昼飯 | ひるめし | lunch, midday meal | JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 昼夜 | ちゅうや | day and night | common Noun, Adverb (fukushi), Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |
| 昼前 | ひるまえ | morning, forenoon | common Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 昼過ぎ | ひるすぎ | just past noon, afternoon | common Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |
| 昼休み | ひるやすみ | lunch break, noon recess, noon rest period | common JLPT-N4 Noun, Adverb (fukushi) |