午前（ごぜん、gozen）
- morning

The word 午前 (ごぜん) means "a.m." or "morning" in English. It refers to the time period from midnight (0:00) to noon (12:00). It is specifically used to indicate times that fall within the morning hours. It is used in conjunction with a specific time (e.g., 9:00 a.m.). 午前 indicates the first half of the day.

⚫︎午前九時 Translation: 9:00 a.m. ⚫︎午前中は図書館にいます。 Translation: I'm at the library in the morning. ⚫︎午前十時に会議があります。 Translation: There is a meeting at 10:00 a.m.

⚫︎午前 is used before the specific hour to specify a.m. ⚫︎ It's essential to use it when stating times to avoid ambiguity, especially when writing schedules or making appointments. ⚫︎ You can use it in various contexts, such as describing daily routines, scheduling events, or talking about the time of day.

⚫︎ The word 午前 is typically written with the kanji 午前. ⚫︎ The reading is ごぜん in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

There are no direct synonyms for 午前.

⚫︎ 午後 (ごご) - p.m. / afternoon

明日の午前九時にミーティングがあります。 ・Translation: There is a meeting at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. ・Explanation: This sentence specifies that the meeting is scheduled for the morning time, at 9:00 a.m.

午前中はいつもコーヒーを飲みます。 ・Translation: I always drink coffee in the morning. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a habit of drinking coffee during the morning hours.

The word 午前 is a combination of two kanji: 午 (go), which refers to the time around noon, and 前 (zen), which means "before" or "the front." Therefore, 午前 literally means "before noon."