Technically it’s morning. Not even an argument. My answer was purely based on the clock system. But I think the answer is actually a bit more complex depending on your location and time of year. After reading the definitions of Morning, Night, Day, Midnight, and AM/PM, my answer is that 12 AM can be Morning, Morning and Night, or Morning and Day. I do not believe 12 AM can solely be called Night based on the phrasing of your question. It seems like your uncle is conflating Afternoon (PM) and Night (period of time from sunset to sunrise). By definition 12 AM is the start of the morning hours or Ante Meridian. So by the clock system it’s Morning. The definition of Night is the period of time from sunset to sunrise. In many parts of the world during much of the year the sun has set when the clock strikes 12AM. Thus 12 AM is by definition both Night (no sunlight) and Morning (AM). There are parts of the world (think extreme North or extreme South) where the sun does not set for months. In these parts of the world, during these seasons of seemingly unending daylight, 12 AM is both Morning and Day. As Day is defined by the period of time from sunrise to sunset. If you really wanted to split hairs the final scenario that I can think of, is where 12 AM is simultaneously Midnight, Morning, and Night or Midnight, Morning, and Day. Depending on location, season, and the presence or absence of sunlight and the definition of midnight. Just don’t ask if 12 PM is considered Afternoon or Day. Answer from ScottyJobs on reddit.com
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TimeAndDate
timeanddate.com › time zones › am and pm
AM and PM: What Do They Mean?
For example, 1 am is one hour after midnight, and 5 am is early in the morning; 5 pm is late in the afternoon, while 11 pm is one hour before midnight.
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NPL
npl.co.uk › resources › q-a › is-midnight-12am-or-12pm
Midnight - is it 12am or 12pm? - NPL
There are no official standards established for the meaning of 12am and 12pm, but it is generally accepted that 12am means midnight and 12pm means midday. The ‘am’ and ‘pm’ stand for ante meridiem and post meridiem – Latin words meaning ‘before the middle of the day’ and ‘after the middle of the day’.
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Dreambox
dreambox.com › home › what does am and pm stand for?
What Does AM and PM Stand For?
July 21, 2025 - ... PM stands for post meridiem, which is Latin for after midday. ... Morning AM is used to refer to the first half of the day, from midnight to midday, which includes all of the morning hours.
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Quora
quora.com › Is-it-called-1-am-at-night-or-1-am-in-the-morning
Is it called 1 am at night or 1 am in the morning? - Quora
WordPress.com gives you everything to build, grow, and own your site. ... Both phrases are used; the precise convention and clarity matter more than which you choose. ... 1:00 AM is formally in the morning (ante meridiem = before noon).
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Cuemath
cuemath.com › measurement › am-pm
AM and PM - Meaning, Full Form of AM PM | Relation with 24-Hour clock
The 12-hour clock method defines all 24 hours of the day using the numbers 1 to 12, followed by am or pm. 5 AM is early in the morning and 5 PM is late in the afternoon; 1 AM is one hour after midnight, and 11 PM is one hour before midnight. Ante Meridiem is generally referred to as AM, am, ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/nostupidquestions › is 12:00 am considered morning or night?
r/NoStupidQuestions on Reddit: Is 12:00 AM considered morning or night?
March 20, 2020 -

My uncle and I are arguing about whether 12 AM is considered morning or night. I'm not going to say which side I take so I don't skew the results. Hopefully y'all can solve this argument.

Top answer
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Technically it’s morning. Not even an argument. My answer was purely based on the clock system. But I think the answer is actually a bit more complex depending on your location and time of year. After reading the definitions of Morning, Night, Day, Midnight, and AM/PM, my answer is that 12 AM can be Morning, Morning and Night, or Morning and Day. I do not believe 12 AM can solely be called Night based on the phrasing of your question. It seems like your uncle is conflating Afternoon (PM) and Night (period of time from sunset to sunrise). By definition 12 AM is the start of the morning hours or Ante Meridian. So by the clock system it’s Morning. The definition of Night is the period of time from sunset to sunrise. In many parts of the world during much of the year the sun has set when the clock strikes 12AM. Thus 12 AM is by definition both Night (no sunlight) and Morning (AM). There are parts of the world (think extreme North or extreme South) where the sun does not set for months. In these parts of the world, during these seasons of seemingly unending daylight, 12 AM is both Morning and Day. As Day is defined by the period of time from sunrise to sunset. If you really wanted to split hairs the final scenario that I can think of, is where 12 AM is simultaneously Midnight, Morning, and Night or Midnight, Morning, and Day. Depending on location, season, and the presence or absence of sunlight and the definition of midnight. Just don’t ask if 12 PM is considered Afternoon or Day.
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Is both an option?
Find elsewhere
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Kylian
kylian.ai › blog › en › is-1230-in-the-morning-considered-am-or-pm
AM or PM at 12:30? Complete Guide to Time in English
May 15, 2025 - AM (ante meridiem): The period from midnight (12:00 AM) to just before noon (11:59 AM) PM (post meridiem): The period from noon (12:00 PM) to just before midnight (11:59 PM) The most confusing aspect emerges at the transition points.
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AmazingTalker
en.amazingtalker.com › questions › 1352
What does "AM" and "PM" stands for?
"AM" refers to the time before noon, while "PM" refers to the time after noon. These terms are commonly used in scheduling and can help to avoid confusion about whether an event or activity is happening in the morning or the afternoon.
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VEDANTU
vedantu.com › full form › what is the full form of am and pm?
AM and PM Full Form Explained: Meaning, Difference & Time Tips
The full form of AM is “Ante Meridiem,” a Latin phrase meaning “before midday.” The full form of PM is “Post Meridiem,” meaning “after midday.” These terms are essential for distinguishing between morning and afternoon/evening ...
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QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › is 12 am morning?
Is 12 am morning?
August 21, 2025 - 12 a.m. is midnight, the point at which one day finishes and the next day starts, so 12:01 a.m. is technically morning.
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Sofatutor
us.sofatutor.com › math › measurement › using clocks
Times of Day (AM or PM) | sofatutor.com
You might wonder, what is am, morning or night? Is it 2 in the am or pm? AM refers to the morning. We are usually asleep at 2 am, it is very early. PM refers to the afternoon and evening. 2 pm is a little bit after lunch time.
Published   July 25, 2023
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › 12-hour_clock
12-hour clock - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - Minutes may be expressed as an ... 2:00 as two o'clock). This may be followed by the "a.m." or "p.m." designator, though some phrases such as in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, or at night more commonly follow analog-style terms such as o'clock, half past ...
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Quora
quora.com › Why-do-we-use-AM-for-morning-and-PM-for-night
Why do we use AM for morning and PM for night? - Quora
Answer (1 of 7): The term we associate with the morning, a.m., is an abbreviation the Latin phrase ante merīdiem meaning “before midday”; p.m. is an abbreviation of postmerīdiem, meaning—you guessed it—“after midday.” These two ...
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Timewatch
timewatch.com › home › am pm explained. is noon 12am or 12pm? why are there 24 hours in a day?
AM PM explained. Is noon 12AM or 12PM? Why are there 24 hours in a day?
October 31, 2025 - The meridian is an imaginary semicircle that crosses the sky from due north to due south at your local noon. So AM is the morning when the sun has not yet reached the meridian, and PM is the afternoon after it has passed the meridian.
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SplashLearn
splashlearn.com › home
What Do AM and PM Mean? Definition, Examples, Facts.
October 12, 2023 - So, is AM morning or night and pm day or night? We can answer this by looking at some times; ​​10 AM is in the morning, and 2 PM is 2 hours after noon. So, AM and PM can represent daytime.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/time › is 12:01 am technically morning?
r/Time on Reddit: Is 12:01 AM technically morning?
February 5, 2022 -

My wife gets on me sometimes because I go to bed at 12:30 or 1 or 1:30 and I say “goodnight” to her and she jokes “well technically it’s morning”. I try to argue that night technically is from sunset to sunrise but she says once the clock hits 12:01 am it’s morning and tells me to look up AM and PM. Help!