晚上
evening; night
wǎnshang
What does 晚上 mean?
晚上 (wǎnshang) is the time-of-day noun for 'evening' or 'night' — roughly from after dinner (around 6-7pm) until you go to sleep. It contrasts with 早上 (zǎoshang, morning), 上午 (shàngwǔ, late morning), 中午 (zhōngwǔ, noon), 下午 (xiàwǔ, afternoon), and 半夜 (bànyè, late night/midnight). The second syllable 上 is unstressed (shang, not shàng). Two grammar points learners need: first, time-of-day words usually go BEFORE the verb in Chinese — 我晚上看书 ('I read in the evening'), not after. Second, no preposition is needed before 晚上 to mean 'in the evening' — Chinese drops 'in / at.' For 'tonight,' use 今天晚上 (jīntiān wǎnshang) or just 今晚 (jīnwǎn). Common partner words: 晚饭 (wǎnfàn, dinner), 晚安 (wǎn'ān, good night).
Character breakdown
late; evening
up; on; (here a time-suffix)
Memory hook: Chinese pairs the time-of-day character (早 morning, 晚 late) with 上 to mean 'in the (time period).' 晚上 = 'late-time period' = evening.
Measure word for 晚上
Example sentences
今天晚上你想吃什么？
Jīntiān wǎnshang nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
What do you want to eat tonight?
spoken
我晚上喜欢看书。
Wǒ wǎnshang xǐhuan kàn shū.
I like to read in the evening.
neutral
明天晚上我们一起吃饭吧。
Míngtiān wǎnshang wǒmen yìqǐ chī fàn ba.
Let's have dinner together tomorrow night.
spoken
晚上好，请问您找谁？
Wǎnshang hǎo, qǐng wèn nín zhǎo shéi?
Good evening, may I ask who you're looking for?
polite
他每天晚上都很晚才睡。
Tā měi tiān wǎnshang dōu hěn wǎn cái shuì.
He goes to bed late every night.
neutral
Common phrases with 晚上
Synonyms
夜里 means 'in the dead of night / late night' — typically after 10-11pm or in the middle of the night. 晚上 is the broader 'evening / nighttime' (from after dinner on). Don't use 夜里 to suggest 'tonight' generally; use 晚上.
夜晚 is more literary/written — used in songs, poetry, descriptive prose. Conversation almost always uses 晚上. 夜晚的星空 ('the night sky') sounds poetic; 晚上的月亮 sounds normal.
Don't confuse 晚上 with
晚 alone means 'late' (the adjective): 你来晚了 ('you came late'). 晚上 is the noun 'evening.' Different functions — 晚 is an adjective; 晚上 is a time-of-day noun.
晚饭 is 'dinner / evening meal.' 晚上 is the time period 'evening.' '吃晚饭' means 'eat dinner'; '晚上吃饭' means 'eat in the evening.'
夜 alone is the literary 'night' (used in compounds like 半夜, 夜里, 夜晚). 晚上 is the everyday spoken word. Don't say 夜 by itself in conversation.