Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week’s lesson will focus on the different times of the day. These show up in a lot of manga, and knowing them should be helpful in all sorts of situations. It’s never too early in the day to start learning some Japanese!

ASA (あさ)

ASA means “morning.” In a recent Nisekoi chapter, Raku and Marika witnessed the first morning of the year on a small deserted island in Kiribati. Raku and Marika trekked through a pitch-black jungle in order to see the amazing sunrise. This is actually a pretty insane thing to do. No wonder all the girls in Nisekoi are crazy for Raku!

HIRU (ひる)

HIRU means “afternoon” or lunchtime. You can even attach GOHAN to ASA and HIRU to create “breakfast” and “lunch.” Dinner is usually BAN GOHAN. If only all of our meals were as grand as those in Toriko. There will forever be a hole in my heart like Komatsu’s because I will never get to experience the flavors of Pair!

YORU (よる)

YORU means “night.” This week’s Bleach chapter introduced an interesting twist to Yhwach’s powers. When night comes and he falls asleep, his powers go to Haschwalth. I guess this makes sense since Haschwalth has been shown to be a balance to Yhwach’s powers. I wonder if this will be the beginning of a huge shift in the plot?!

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