正午（しょうご、shougo）
- noon

The word 正午 (正午, shōgo) means "noon," "midday," or "12:00 PM." It specifically refers to the time when the sun is at its highest point in the sky.

⚫︎正午に会議があります。 Translation: There's a meeting at noon. ⚫︎正午のニュースを見ましたか？ Translation: Did you watch the news at noon? ⚫︎昼食は正午に食べましょう。 Translation: Let's eat lunch at noon.

⚫︎You use 正午 to indicate the specific time of 12:00 PM. ⚫︎It's common to use 正午 when scheduling events, discussing the time of day, or referring to a midday activity. ⚫︎It is also used in formal and informal situations.

⚫︎The word is typically written as 正午 with the kanji 正 (shō - meaning "correct," "right," "proper") and 午 (go - meaning "noon," "the horse (in the Chinese zodiac)"). ⚫︎The reading is always しょうご (shōgo) in hiragana. ⚫︎There are no other ways to write 正午. ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎お昼 (ohiru) - daytime, noon (more general) ⚫︎真昼 (mahiru) - midday, high noon

⚫︎午前 (gozen) - morning, AM ⚫︎午後 (gogo) - afternoon, PM ⚫︎夜 (yoru) - night

正午には、いつもこのレストランは混んでいます。 ・Translation: This restaurant is always crowded at noon. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the typical situation at a restaurant at 正午.

正午の休憩時間まで、あと一時間です。 ・Translation: It's one more hour until the lunch break at noon. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the time left until the noon break time.

The word 正午 is composed of two kanji: 正 (shō), which means "correct" or "proper," and 午 (go), which refers to "noon" or the "horse" in the Chinese zodiac (which traditionally represented the time of midday). The combination essentially signifies the "correct noon" or the most accurate time of midday. The word came to be used in Japanese to designate 12:00 PM.