夜中|よなかyonaka[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. noun, adverbmiddle of the night; dead of night
   私は夜中よなかに３度目どめが覚さめた。↗

   I awoke three times in the night.

• Synonym真夜中まよなかNeutralEmphasizes the very deepest point of the night; 「夜中」 covers a somewhat broader stretch of the late-night hours.
• Synonym深夜しんやNeutralRefers to the late-night period and leans formal, common for business hours and TV programs, as in 「深夜料金」; 「夜中」 is more colloquial.
• Related夜半やはんWrittenWritten-style word for the middle of the night, found in literature and news, as in 「夜半の雨」; in everyday speech say 「夜中」.
• Related半夜はんやWrittenWritten word for midnight, rarely used in daily life; colloquial Japanese says 「夜中」, so it is far less common than the everyday term.
• Related深更しんこうWrittenWritten word for the late-night hours, as in 「深更に及ぶ」; in daily speech use 「深夜」.
• Related中夜ちゅうやWrittenArchaic term for roughly 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.; today seen mostly in Buddhist contexts, as in 「中夜勤行」.
• Antonym昼間ひるまNeutralAntonym on the day–night axis: means daytime, when the sun is up.

For the middle of the night in everyday speech, use 「夜中」. For the very deepest hour, say 「真夜中」. For formal uses like business hours or fees, choose 「深夜」. 「夜半」, 「半夜」 and 「深更」 suit written prose; 「中夜」 is archaic. The antonym is 「昼間」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 夜よるの間あいだ。