夜
yè · HSK 2
night
🌙 夜 = 亠 (lid/roof) + 夕 (evening) — evening tucked under cover
The character 夜 combines a top lid 亠 with 夕 (evening/moon) hidden beneath, marking the time after sunset. Yè rhymes with the English word yeah but ends short — a clipped sound for the clipped end of day.
夜 — 亠 lid + 亻 person + 夕 evening moon
夜 originally depicted a person (亻) under a roof (亠) with the moon (夕) beside them, evoking nighttime rest. The moon component 夕 carries the meaning of evening, while the surrounding elements set the scene of a person at night. Over time it came to mean 'night' in general.