evening; early night
Refers to the period from dusk until late evening, often with a poetic or literary feel. In modern casual speech, 夕方 or 夜 are more common.
The rain stopped in the early evening.
The evening star is shining in the western sky.
晩 is a plain, everyday word for 'evening/night' used in casual speech, while 宵 carries a literary or poetic tone.
暁 poetically denotes dawn or daybreak, the opposite end of the night from 宵, which marks its early, dusk-lit start.
this evening; tonight
dusk; twilight
overnight; kept overnight
eve of the main festival; small festival on the night before the main festival
going to bed early; early bedtime · afternoon nap; siesta
Standard kanji spelling; common in literary and formal contexts.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing and children's materials.
The historical derivation is uncertain; the kanji 宵 is conventionally associated with the meaning 'evening' or 'early night'.
eve of a festival; small festival held the night before the main festival
evening loading; goods loaded in the afternoon for next-morning delivery
night owl; person who stays up late · staying up late; keeping late hours