明け

明け

"明け" (ake) means "dawn," "end," or "beginning of a new period."

In this sentence, '明け' is used within '夜明け', meaning 'dawn', which refers to the event of daybreak.

夜明けが美しいです。

The dawn is beautiful.

Here, '明け' is used in '仕事明け', meaning 'after work', indicating the completion of the work period.

仕事明けに友人と会いました。

I met with my friend after finishing work.

In this phrase, '明け' in '正月明け' refers to the period following the New Year, signifying the ending of the celebration.

正月明けは忙しいです。

The period after the New Year's celebration is busy.