• 午後ごご — afternoon
• 午前ごぜん — morning (before noon)
• 正午しょうご — noon
• 午睡ごすい — nap
• 午年うまどし — Year of the Horse
• 子午線しごせん — meridian (longitude line)

午 is a symbolic character originally related to measuring or pointing vertically. It came to represent “noon,” the 7th of the twelve zodiac signs, and is also associated with midday hours such as 午前 (morning) and 午後 (afternoon).

午後ごごに会あいましょう。
Let’s meet in the afternoon.

正午しょうごに昼ひるごはんを食たべました。
I ate lunch at noon.

🎧 Practice the native Japanese pronunciation of 午.