夜よを明あかす

Meanings

1

expression, godan verb (-su)

stay up all night; spend the night without sleep

Used when someone intentionally or unavoidably stays awake through the entire night, often for work, study, or conversation.

友とも達だちと話はなしながら夜よを明あかした。
I stayed up all night talking with a friend.
試し験けん前まえはよく夜よを明あかして勉べん強きょうする。
Before exams, I often stay up all night studying.

Written forms

夜よを明あかす
Standard kanji spelling for this expression.
よを明あかす
Kana spelling for 夜 is common in casual writing.

Kanji

夜night, evening
明bright, light

Similar words

徹てつ夜やする
徹夜する is a more common and straightforward way to say 'stay up all night,' often implying intentional all-nighter for work or study. 夜を明かす is slightly more literary and can emphasize the passage of the night.
夜よ更ふかしする
夜更かしする means 'stay up late' but not necessarily all night; it implies going to bed later than usual, while 夜を明かす means staying awake until morning.

Etymology

From 夜 (night) + を (object marker) + 明かす (to pass the night until dawn). The verb 明かす is the transitive form of 明ける (to dawn), literally meaning 'to make the night dawn.'