黄昏|たそがれtasogare[0]heiban (flat)

1. noundusk; twilight
   われわれの文明ぶんめいの黄昏たそがれに。↗

   We find ourselves in the twilight of our civilization.
2. nountwilight years
3. nounmelancholia; melancholic nostalgia

• Synonym夕暮れゆうぐれNeutralEveryday word for dusk, with more feel for the scenery than 「夕方」; 「黄昏」 is the more literary word and can also stand for the late years of a life or an era.
• Synonym日暮れひぐれNeutralRefers to the time the sun sets and it grows dark, focusing on the darkening sky; it lacks the metaphorical sense of 「黄昏」.
• Synonym暮れくれNeutralMeans nightfall but also the end of the year, as in 「暮れの大掃除」; the emphasis is on things drawing to a close.
• Synonym夕刻ゆうこくWrittenWritten word for evening, typical of news reports and official writing, as in 「夕刻に到着」.
• Synonym夕方ゆうがたNeutralThe most common everyday word for early evening, as in 「夕方5時」; plain and free of literary overtones.
• Synonym夕ゆうWrittenThe written variant 「夕」 means evening or the evening hours, also in names of evening gatherings; 「黄昏」 alone suggests decline and life's late years.
• Synonym夕まぐれゆうまぐれWrittenWritten and poetic: the brief stretch after sunset when the sky is still light. Rarely used.
• Synonym薄暮はくぼWrittenWritten word for the dimming time just after sunset, as in 「薄暮時」; it covers only the time and light, never life's late years.
• Synonym逢魔が時おうまがときWrittenWritten term for the twilight hour when, legend has it, yokai are apt to appear; it carries a mysterious, eerie air.
• Synonym入相いりあいWrittenWritten word for sunset, mostly in the set phrase 「入相の鐘」 (the evening bell); a classical literary term.
• Synonym薄暮れうすぐれCasualColloquial word for the evening when light is fading but it is not yet dark; close to 「夕暮れ」 and not often used.
• Synonym黄昏時たそがれどきNeutralSame meaning as 「黄昏」 but stresses the time span itself; still has a literary feel.
• Related日没にちぼつWrittenWritten word for the sun's setting as an astronomical event; it does not refer to the evening period itself.
• Related日の入りひのいりNeutralThe moment of sunset; the standard term in weather forecasts, as in 「日の入り時刻」.
• Related火灯し頃ひともしごろWrittenOld-fashioned written word for lamp-lighting time, the hour when households light their lamps.
• Related入り方いりがたNeutralRefers to the moment the sun or moon sets, in an astronomical way; it does not cover the evening as a whole.
• Related夕べゆうべNeutralMeans evening or last night — in modern speech usually last night; also in names of evening events like 「音楽の夕べ」. No figurative use.
• Related夕闇ゆうやみNeutralFocuses on the gathering darkness of dusk, as in 「夕闇が迫る」; purely about the dimming light, with no figurative use.
• Related暮れ方くれがたNeutralAn everyday word for the evening hour, pointing to the time itself; plainer and more ordinary than 「黄昏」.
• RelatedサンセットNeutralLoanword for the setting sun, with a romantic feel; often a product name, rarely used in everyday description.
• Antonym黎明れいめいWrittenAntonym: written word for dawn, opposite of 「黄昏」; also a metaphor for the beginning of a new age.
• Antonym曙あけぼのWrittenAntonym: written word for daybreak, just before sunrise, set against the dusk of 「黄昏」.

For the everyday evening, use 「夕方」 or 「夕暮れ」. Pick 「黄昏」 for a literary tone or to evoke the late stage of a life or an era, as in 「人生の黄昏」; 「黄昏時」 means the same, stressing the time span. For the moment the sun sets, say 「日の入り」; for dawn, its opposite, 「黎明」. 「夕まぐれ」「薄暮」「逢魔が時」「入相」「火灯し頃」 are literary or old-fashioned shades of dusk; 「夕闇」 stresses the fading light; 「暮れ」 also means year's end; 「夕刻」 fits news and official writing.

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

1. 夕方ゆうがた、たそがれ時どき。