Japanese symbol for “dinner”
夜
よる
Romaji: yoru
night; evening
In Japanese, dinner is 夜, read よる (yoru).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adv, n night; evening
- n dinner
Written forms: 夜. Readings: よる、よ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “dinner”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 夕食 | ゆうしょく yuushoku | evening meal; dinner |
| 宴会 | えんかい enkai | party; banquet; reception |
| 晩 | ばん ban | dinner; evening meal |
| 晩餐 | ばんさん bansan | dinner (esp. a formal one) |
| 夕飯 | ゆうはん yuuhan | evening meal; dinner; supper |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今夜 | こんや kon'ya | this evening; tonight |
| 夜間 | やかん yakan | night; nighttime |
| 深夜 | しんや shin'ya | late at night |
| 夜中 | よなか yonaka | middle of the night; dead of night |
| 徹夜 | てつや tetsuya | staying up all night |
| 夜明け | よあけ yoake | dawn; daybreak |
See also: Chinese symbol for “dinner”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.