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Kanji for Night
The kanji most commonly used for "Night" are 夜、晩、宵.
夜
Kanji that mean Night
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夜
night, evening, midnight
Onyomi: ya Kunyomi: yo, yo.ru 8 strokes Jōyō
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晩
evening, night, late
Onyomi: ban 12 strokes Jōyō
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宵
evening, night
Also associated with dusk.
Onyomi: shoh Kunyomi: yoi 10 strokes Jōyō
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夕
evening, night
Also associated with end of period.
Onyomi: seki Kunyomi: yuu 3 strokes Jōyō
夜 (yoru / ya) is night itself — from nightfall to dawn: 夜空 the night sky, today’s 今夜 tonight, 夜桜 cherry blossoms viewed after dark. It is the wide, neutral word and the character to reach for first.
The others each name a slice of it. 晩 (ban) is the evening as a time of day — 今晩 (this evening), 晩ご飯 (dinner); it also means “late”, as in 晩年, the late years of a life. 夕 (yū) is dusk, the moment of fading light: 夕日 the setting sun, 夕焼け the sunset glow, 七夕 the Tanabata star festival written “seventh evening”. 宵 (yoi) is the early night while the evening is still young — 徹宵 is to stay up through it, and 宵の明星 is Venus as the evening star.
So Japanese walks through the dark hours with four characters where English has one: dusk 夕, early night 宵, evening 晩, and the whole of it 夜.
Words using Night kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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日夜
にちや
day and night; around the clock; always
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晩年
ばんねん
one's later years; final years (in life)
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今宵
こよい
this evening; tonight
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夕食
ゆうしょく
evening meal; dinner
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深夜
しんや
late at night
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毎晩
まいばん
every night
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夕方
ゆうがた
early evening (usu. from 3pm to 6pm); dusk
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夜間
やかん
night; nighttime
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一晩
ひとばん
one night; one evening; all night
Before you use Night kanji
夜 is unambiguous and reads cleanly as "night" — a safe, atmospheric choice. 宵 is subtler and rather poetic (the young night). Avoid 晩 alone: to modern eyes it says "evening meal-time" or "late" more than darkness.