The Meaning of hiru [昼] In Japanese

昼
ひる
Romaji: hiru N5

What does 昼 mean?

Translation and Meaning

daytime, midday, noon

Definition

昼 (hiru) means the period of daylight centered on midday; it refers to the hours between morning and evening and is used to indicate the time around noon, lunchtime, or general daytime on schedules and in conversation.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Noon specifically, the moment around 12:00.
  • An informal reference to lunchtime or the meal taken at midday.
  • The daytime span as contrasted with night, often used in contexts like work shifts or operating hours.
  • A programming or broadcasting slot that airs during daytime hours.
  • Figuratively, the bright or active part of a daily cycle as opposed to the night.

Origin

The written form arrived with Chinese characters introduced to Japan in the early historic period; the concept of dividing the day into daytime and nighttime appears in classical Japanese records, and the character is attested in Heian-period texts used to mark times of day and daily activities.

Composition

The character combines the 日 radical, meaning ‘sun’ or ‘day’, with a lower component that historically conveys ‘center’ or ‘midpoint’; together the elements evoke the sun at its middle position in the sky, giving the sense of midday or daytime.

Usage

Used broadly in everyday speech and writing to refer to midday or daytime in both casual and formal contexts; common in schedules and timetables, in conversation about lunch or plans, and in compound words to indicate daytime-related activities (when quoting Japanese, include romaji in parentheses).
💡 Tips
Picture the sun (日) sitting right in the center of the sky at noon — that central sun is 昼 (hiru), the day’s middle.

Variations

  • 昼間 (ひるま, hiruma) — daytime (emphasizes the span of daylight hours)
  • 昼休み (ひるやすみ, hiru yasumi) — lunch break/midday rest
  • 昼下がり (ひるさがり, hirusagari) — early afternoon
  • 夜 (よる, yoru) — night (antonym)

Example Phrases

  • 昼食後に 一休みしてから、 軽いストレッチをして コーヒーを飲んで、 作業へ戻る。
    Chūshoku go ni hitoyasumi shite kara, karui sutorecchi o shite kōhī o nonde, sagyō e modoru.
    After lunch, I take a short rest, do a light stretch, drink coffee, and return to work.
    Lista:
    • 昼食後に (Chūshoku go ni) – after lunch
    • 一休みしてから (hitoyasumi shite kara) – after taking a short rest
    • 軽いストレッチをして (karui sutorecchi o shite) – doing a light stretch
    • コーヒーを飲んで (kōhī o nonde) – drinking coffee
    • 作業へ戻る (sagyō e modoru) – return to work
    The noun 「一休み」 means a short rest; here it forms the sequence 「一休みしてから」 to indicate doing a break before the next action.
  • 昼休み、同僚と雑談をしつつコーヒーを飲んだ。
    Hiru yasumi, dōryō to zatsudan o shitsutsu kouhii o nonda.
    During lunch break, I chatted with a coworker while drinking coffee.
    Lista:
    • 昼休み (hiruyasumi) – during lunch break
    • 同僚と (dōryō to) – with a coworker
    • 雑談をしつつ (zatsudan o shitsutsu) – while having a casual chat
    • コーヒーを (kouhii o) – coffee
    • 飲んだ (nonda) – drank
    The word is 「雑談」, meaning casual talk; here 雑談をしつつ means ‘while having a casual chat’.
  • 窓からの景色を見て、昼ごはんを食べた。
    Mado kara no keshiki o mite, hirugohan o tabeta.
    I looked at the view from the window and had lunch.
    Lista:
    • 窓 (mado) – window
    • から (kara) – from
    • の (no) – possessive
    • 景色 (keshiki) – scenery
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 見て (mite) – see
    • 昼ごはん (hirugohan) – lunch
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 食べた (tabeta) – ate
    The word 「景色」 means scenery/view; here it’s used as the object of 見る in 窓からの景色を見て, and the sentence uses 〜を見て to connect actions: look at something and do another action.
  • 二日ぶりに 友達と 会って 昼ごはんを 食べた。
    futsuka-buri ni tomodachi to atte hirugohan o tabeta.
    I met a friend for lunch for the first time in two days.
    Lista:
    • 二日ぶりに (futsuka-buri ni) – after two days
    • 友達と (tomodachi to) – with a friend
    • 会って (atte) – meet
    • 昼ごはんを (hirugohan o) – lunch
    • 食べた (tabeta) – ate
    Use 「二日ぶりに」 to express ‘it’s been two days since’ the last time; ぶり indicates duration since the previous event, and に marks the timing of the following action.
  • 昼休みに 友達と 公園で 休憩を 取った。
    Hiru yasumi ni tomodachi to kouen de kyūkei o totta.
    During lunch break, I took a break with my friends at the park.
    Lista:
    • 昼休みに (hiru yasumi ni) – during lunch break
    • 友達と (tomodachi to) – with friends
    • 公園で (kouen de) – at the park
    • 休憩を (kyuukei o) – a break
    • 取った (totta) – took
    Here 「休憩」 is a noun meaning ‘a break’ and is used with を取る to express taking a break; 昼休みに marks the time.
昼