This is the 2646th most frequent Japanese word.
未明
"未明" means "early dawn" or "pre-dawn."
In this sentence, '未明' (mimei) refers to the early morning period, specifically before dawn. It is used to denote the time when the earthquake took place.
未明に地震が発生しました。
An earthquake occurred in the early morning.
Here, '未明' (mimei) is associated with a specific time period before sunrise, emphasizing the time of the event.
この事件は未明の時間帯に起こりました。
This incident occurred during the early dawn hours.
In this usage, '未明' (mimei) is part of a forecast, illustrating its use in temporal descriptions for events occurring in the early hours.