Napszak

Napszak is a Hungarian term that denotes a division of the 24-hour day into distinct parts, typically aligned with daylight and human activity. The concept is used in everyday language as well as in technical contexts to refer to a specific period within a day.

The word is formed from nap (day/sun) and szak (part, section), and it functions as a general label for a segment of time within the daily cycle. In practice, napszak can be defined differently depending on the context, but it commonly refers to periods such as dawn, morning, forenoon, noon, afternoon, evening, and night.

Common examples of napszak include hajnal (dawn), reggel (morning), délelőtt (forenoon), dél (noon), délután (afternoon), este (evening), and éjszaka (night). These labels are used in weather forecasts, daily planning, farming schedules, and various services that depend on the time of day.

Applications of napszak span several domains. In meteorology and climatology, day parts help describe the progression of daylight. In agriculture and gardening, they guide tasks that are time-sensitive to light or temperature. In energy markets and consumer services, “napszakos” or time-of-use systems price or schedule activities according to the time of day. In media and education, napszak informs scheduling and programming decisions.

Because the boundaries between napszaks are not fixed, the exact definitions can vary by locale, industry, or purpose. The term remains a flexible way to discuss the parts of the day in Hungarian.