明け方・明方|あけがたakegata[0]heiban (flat)

1. noun, adverbdawn; daybreakusu. from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
   その事故じこは明け方あけがたに起おこった。↗

   The accident occurred at dawn.

• Synonym夜明けよあけNeutralThe most common word for the moment day breaks; 「明け方」 stresses the stretch of time just before it gets light, so the two often overlap.
• Synonym曙あけぼのWrittenWritten, elegant word for the time just before sunrise, as in the classical 「春はあけぼの」; also used figuratively for a beginning.
• Synonym暁あかつきWrittenWritten word for daybreak; also appears in 「〜の暁には」 to mean 'at the time when (something) comes about'.
• Synonym黎明れいめいWrittenWritten word used mostly figuratively for the dawn of a new era, as in 「近代の黎明」; its literal sense is rare.
• Synonym払暁ふつぎょうWrittenWritten word for daybreak, found mainly in military and news contexts, as in 「払暁攻撃」.
• Synonym明けあけNeutralNeutral word for daybreak, but also for the period right after something ends, as in 「梅雨明け」 and 「休み明け」.
• Synonym白白明けしらしらあけWrittenLiterary word for dawn, when the sky slowly turns white; in everyday speech people say 「夜明け」.
• Related彼は誰時かわたれどきWrittenArchaic word for the dark hour of dawn, when you cannot make out who is passing; the counterpart of 「黄昏」.
• Related暁天ぎょうてんWrittenWritten word for the sky at daybreak; in daily conversation 「明け方」 is the natural choice.
• Related早暁そうぎょうWrittenWritten word for the earliest part of the morning; in everyday speech 「早朝」 is used instead.
• Related早天そうてんWrittenWritten word for the early morning; in everyday speech 「早朝」 is used instead.
• Related朝ぼらけあさぼらけWrittenElegant word for the faint light before the sun rises, common in waka poetry.
• Antonym夕方ゆうがたNeutralThe counterpart of 「明け方」 at the other end of the day: early evening, roughly 3 to 6 pm.

For the stretch before daybreak in everyday speech, 「明け方」 is the default; for the moment day breaks, 「夜明け」 is the most common word. In written prose use 「暁」 or 「払暁」, and for the figurative dawn of a new era 「黎明」 or 「曙」. 「明け」 also covers the time just after something ends. The antonym is 「夕方」.

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

1. 夜よるが明あけようとする頃ころ。