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暁 (あかつき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Meanings 1
noun
dawn ; daybreak
poetical term
Poetic or literary term for the break of day. In everyday speech, 夜明け is more common.
に
出しゅっ
発ぱつ
し
た
。
They set out at daybreak.
2
noun
in the event of ; when it comes to ; upon
Only with reading あかつき
Used in the pattern 〜の暁に to mean 'when something happens' or 'in the event of'. Often implies a future, significant, or hoped-for occasion. Restricted to the reading あかつき.
Written forms 暁 Usage 76% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
あかつき Usage 22%
Kana spelling is acceptable, especially in informal or learner contexts, but the kanji form is common.
曉 Usage 1% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
out-dated kanji form
あかとき Usage 1%
Kanji 暁 daybreak, dawn, in the event Similar words 夜よ 明あ け Common, everyday word for dawn. 暁 is more poetic and literary.
明あ け 方がた Refers to the period around dawn, more temporal than 暁.
Etymology Originally a compound of 明か (aka, 'bright') + 時 (toki, 'time'), referring to the time when the sky brightens. The reading shifted from あかとき to あかつき over time.
