Word
正午
Meaning in Englishnoon, midday
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Word context
What it means
正午 means the time at 12:00, the middle of the day, commonly referred to as noon.
Main meanings
- noon, the middle of the day, precisely 12:00 PM in standard timekeeping
- around noon when used with ごろ to indicate approximate midday
- in formal writing or schedules, it marks the exact point of highest sun or middle daylight
How to use it
Used in formal and written contexts such as schedules, weather reports, and academic writing; in everyday speech, people may say 12:00 or use ごろ to mean around noon.
Variants and close terms
- 真昼 (mahiru) — midday, a literary term
- 昼頃 (hiru-doki) — around noon, common in conversation
- 正午すぎ (shougo-sugi) — shortly after noon
- 正午前 (shougo zen) — before noon
Composition
- 正: 'correct, true', indicating exactness
- 午: 'noon' hour marker; also linked to the zodiac sign horse
Etymology
正 denotes correctness or exactness, 午 denotes the hour period associated with the noon-time segment; together they form the compound for the precise noonday moment.
Origin
The term appears in classical and medieval Japanese timekeeping, where the day was divided and tracked in relation to solar noon; it became standard in calendars, clerical timetables, and formal writing.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
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