The Meaning of yūhi [夕日] In Japanese

夕日
ゆうひ
Romaji: yūhi N5

What does 夕日 mean?

Translation and Meaning

sunset, evening sun

Definition

What does 夕日 mean? It refers to the sun as it appears in the evening, specifically the moment when the sun sinks toward the horizon, often used to describe scenery, light, and mood in natural or literary contexts.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Poetic image of the sun at the horizon, used to evoke calm, beauty, and the close of day
  • Symbol of endings, transitions, and reflective mood in literature and film
  • Common in travel writing and nature photography captions to set a warm, golden-hour scene

Composition

  • 夕: evening, twilight
  • 日: sun, day
  • Together they form the concept of the sun visible in the evening, i.e., the sunset

Usage

Used in everyday speech and literature to indicate the sun at sunset; in casual speech one speaks of the sun going down or the glow of the horizon, while in poetry and journalism it serves as a picturesque reference to late-day light; common expressions include 夕日を見る, 夕日が沈む, 夕日色の風景.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine 日 as a sun sinking toward the horizon while 夕 marks the time of day; together they encode the idea of the sun in the evening, making 夕日 easy to recall when describing sunsets.

Variations

  • 夕暮れ — yūgure (dusk)
  • 日暮れ — higure (dusk)
  • 黄昏 — tasogare (twilight)

Example Phrases

  • 夕日が窓に映える駅のホームで本を読む。
    Yūhi ga mado ni haeru eki no hōmu de hon o yomu.
    I read a book on the station platform where the sunset reflects in the window.
    Lista:
    • 夕日 (yūhi) – sunset
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 窓 (mado) – window
    • に (ni) – at/in/on
    • 映える (haeru) – to glow/shine/reflect
    • 駅 (eki) – station
    • の (no) – possessive/connector
    • ホーム (hōmu) – platform
    • で (de) – at
    • 本 (hon) – book
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 読む (yomu) – to read
    Uses the subject marker with 「夕日」 as the subject; 窓に映える describes the sunset reflecting on the window.
夕日