Early Evening
Evening
noun
When do things begin to go in the evening direction? That would be in the early evening or simply the evening.
夕方 refers to the period of the day between afternoon and nighttime, when the sun is starting to go down and it's gradually beginning to get darker outside.
This word uses the kun'yomi readings for both kanji. You learned 夕's kun'yomi reading with the kanji, so you should be okay there. The 方 reading wasn't the main one learned, though, and plus it's rendaku'd, so here's a mnemonic to help you remember it:
Early evening is your curfew — you gotta (がた) be home by then. If you're out past evening, you'll miss dinner and get in trouble, so you gotta head home as soon as it starts getting dark. You GOTTA!
夕方になる
to become evening
夕方にかえる
to go home in the early evening
夕方にある
to take place in the early evening
夕方におわる
to end in the early evening
夕方になると、少しすずしくなります。
It gets a bit cooler in the evening.
夕方からバイトがあるんです。
I have a part-time job in the evening.
夕方のスーパーは人が多い。
Supermarkets are crowded in the early evening.