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明くる (あくる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

あくる

あ

く

る

Common word›JLPTN2›Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

pre-noun adjectival

next; following

usually written using kana alone

Used almost exclusively before nouns referring to time, especially 日 (day), 朝 (morning), 年 (year), etc. It is a pre-noun adjectival (rentaishi) and cannot stand alone.

明あくる日ひ、彼かれは早

はや

く

起お

き

た

。

The next day, he woke up early.

あくる朝あさ、雪ゆきが積つもっていた。

The following morning, snow had piled up.

Usage patterns

明あくる日ひthe next day
彼かれは明あくる日ひ、早はやく出しゅっ発ぱつした。
He set off early the next day.
明あくる朝あさthe following morning
明あくる朝あさ、雨あめはもう止やんでいた。
By the following morning, the rain had already stopped.
明あくる年としthe following year
彼かれらは明あくる年としに結けっ婚こんした。
They got married the following year.

Kanji

明bright, light
翌the following, next

Related words

翌よくN3
翌 is a prefix attached directly to time words to form compounds like 翌日, while 明くる stands alone before the noun as in 明くる日.
次つぎN5
次 is a general noun meaning 'next' usable with any kind of item, while 明くる is restricted to time words like 日, 朝, and 年.

Don't confuse with

開あけるN5
明ける is a verb meaning 'to dawn' or 'to end (of a period)', whereas 明くる is a pre-noun adjectival meaning 'next' that only modifies time nouns.

Written forms

明あくる
Standard kanji spelling; it is the primary form.
翌あくる
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; not commonly used.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 明く (あく, to open/dawn), with the adnominal form 明くる becoming fixed as a pre-noun adjectival. The kanji 明 carries the meaning of 'bright' or 'next' in temporal contexts.