night

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 夜 means night; its on-reading is や, and its kun-readings include よ and よる.
• Basic usage: 夜(よる) means night, while 夜中(よなか) means the middle of the night or late at night.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The reading and time range of 夜中
  • The initial part of 夜中 is read よ. It differs from the standalone reading よる of 夜.
  • 夜中まで勉強する means studying late into the night. Here 夜中 refers to late nighttime, rather than one exact point on the clock.