お昼

• Reading: おひる
• Romaji: ohiru
• Kanji breakdown: 昼 (chuu/hiru) — noon, daytime
• Pronunciation: /o.çi.ɾɯ/

Meaning

Lunch; noon; midday. A polite way to refer to the midday meal or time.

A noun with the honorific prefix お attached to 昼 (hiru, noon/daytime). Primarily used to mean 'lunch' in everyday conversation: お昼を食べる (to eat lunch), お昼ご飯 (lunch, midday meal). Can also refer to noon as a time of day. Softer and more conversational than the plain 昼食 (chuushoku).

Examples

1. お昼はもう食べましたか。 Have you eaten lunch yet?
2. お昼の休憩は12時からです。 The lunch break starts at noon.
3. 今日のお昼は何にしようか迷っている。 I can't decide what to have for lunch today.

Usage Guide

Context: meals, daily schedule, workplace

Tone: friendly

Origin & History

The kanji 昼 combines 尺 (measure) and 旦 (dawn/day), representing the measured passage of daytime. The お prefix was added as an honorific to soften the word for polite daily use.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal