真夜中|まよなかmayonaka[2]nakadaka (mid-high)

1. noun, adverbdead of night; midnight
   私わたしたちは真夜中まよなかにロンドンに着ついた。↗

   We reached London at midnight.

• Synonym深夜しんやNeutralThe late-night period; often in compounds like 「深夜番組」 and 「深夜料金」. More common than 「真夜中」, which stresses the very deepest moment of the night.
• SynonymミッドナイトNeutralLoanword for midnight; mostly in song and work titles, rare in everyday speech. Use 「真夜中」 for the dead of night.
• Synonym夜中よなかNeutralNight in general, as in 「夜中に目が覚める」; broader in range than 「真夜中」 and not limited to the deepest hours.
• Synonym夜半やはんWrittenArchaic, literary word for the middle of the night, found mostly in poetry; rare in daily use — say 「真夜中」 instead.
• Related零時れいじNeutralThe exact hour of zero, and also noon; focuses on the clock time and lacks the deep-night feel that 「真夜中」 carries.
• Related夜中よなかNeutralNight in general, as in 「夜中に目が覚める」; broader in range than 「真夜中」 and not limited to the deepest hours.
• Related夜半よわWrittenArchaic, literary word for the middle of the night, found mostly in poetry; rare in daily use — say 「真夜中」 instead.
• Related１２時じゅうにじNeutralTwelve o'clock, noon or midnight; a clock-time reading without the deep-night feel of 「真夜中」.
• Related正子しょうしFormalAstronomical term for midnight zero hour (when the sun crosses the lower meridian); strongly technical. In daily speech use 「真夜中」 or 「零時」.
• Related半夜はんやWrittenThe middle of the night, or half the night; written style and uncommon — say 「真夜中」 in everyday contexts.
• Related深更しんこうWrittenWritten-style word for late night, seen in phrases like 「深更に及ぶ」; in speech use 「深夜」 or 「真夜中」.
• Related中夜ちゅうやWrittenThe hours around midnight, or a Buddhist night service; written style and very rare.
• Antonym真昼まひるNeutralMidday, broad daylight; the opposite of 「真夜中」, the deepest point of the night.
• Antonym正午しょうごNeutralNoon, twelve o'clock in the day; stands opposite midnight zero and 「真夜中」.

Use 「真夜中」 for the deepest moment of the night. For the late-night period or compounds like 「深夜番組」, use 「深夜」; for night in general, 「夜中」; for the exact clock time, 「零時」 or 「１２時」. 「夜半」, 「半夜」, 「深更」 and 「正子」 are literary or technical, and the antonyms name midday.

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

1. 夜よるの中間ちゅうかん点てん。夜よるのもっとも更ふけた時刻じこく。