daytime

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 昼 has 9 strokes; the word 昼 is read ひる, and 昼間 is read ひるま.
• Basic usage: 昼 denotes daytime or around lunchtime; 昼間 denotes the daytime period.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Daytime and around lunch
  • In 昼は暖かいですが、夜は寒い, 昼 is daytime in contrast with night. In the context of eating lunch, 今日の昼 refers to around lunchtime, so the time span depends on context.
  • 昼間でも人が少ない means that there are few people even during the day. 昼間 denotes daytime, and でも brings out the contrast with the expectation that people would be around then.