夜食（やしょく、yashoku）
- night snack

The Japanese word 夜食 (やしょく, yashoku) means "night snack" or "midnight snack." It refers to a small meal or food consumed late at night, typically before going to bed. It's often something light and easy to prepare.

⚫︎夜食にラーメンを食べました。 Translation: I ate ramen for a night snack. ⚫︎ 疲れたので、少し夜食をとろう。 Translation: I'm tired, so I'll have a little night snack. ⚫︎ 友達と映画を見て、その後夜食を食べに行った。 Translation: I watched a movie with my friend and then went to eat a night snack.

This word is used in everyday conversation to describe the act of eating a small meal or snack during the late evening or night. You can use it to talk about what you ate, what you plan to eat, or what someone else is eating. It is suitable for most casual and semi-formal situations.

夜食 is written using the kanji 夜 (yo, night) and 食 (shoku, food/meal). The reading is typically written in hiragana as やしょく. There are no other common ways to write this word, nor are there significant variations in okurigana.

There aren't many direct synonyms, but some related terms include: ⚫︎ 軽食 (けいしょく, keishoku) - "light meal" or "snack" (can be used at any time). ⚫︎ 間食 (かんしょく, kanshoku) - "snack" (between meals). ⚫︎ If referring to the food itself, you might describe it more specifically, e.g., "ラーメン" (ramen), "おにぎり" (onigiri), etc.

There isn't a direct antonym for 夜食, but you could consider the opposite in terms of time of day: ⚫︎ 朝食 (ちょうしょく, choushoku) - "breakfast". Or, in terms of the amount of food eaten: ⚫︎ 大食 (たいしょく, taishoku) - "gluttony" or "eating a large amount".

今日はどうしてもお腹が空いて、結局、夜中に《夜食を食べてしまった。》 ・Translation: I was so hungry today that I ended up eating a night snack in the middle of the night. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the speaker's experience of succumbing to hunger and having a 夜食.

健康のためには、《夜食は避けたほうがいいと聞きました。》 ・Translation: I heard it's better to avoid night snacks for your health. ・Explanation: This sentence discusses the potential impact of 夜食 on one's health.

The word 夜食 is a compound word. 夜 (yo) means "night," and 食 (shoku) means "food" or "meal." Therefore, 夜食 directly translates to "night food" or "night meal," and by extension, "night snack."