To Grow Late
To Wear On, To Deepen
intransitive verb, ichidan verb
This word consists of kanji with hiragana attached. Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb.
The kanji itself means renew, but the verb meaning is a little different. This means to grow late, to wear on, or to deepen. Think of it this way: you only renew stuff that's not new, after time has worn on a bit — your streaming subscriptions, your driver's license, your marriage vows. And with each renewal you feel the passage of time a little more deeply…
You'll see 更ける more often in writing, usually in reference to night or autumn, as in 夜が更ける (the night grows late) and 秋が更ける (autumn deepens).
Since this word has okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) you know that it's probably going to be the kun'yomi reading.
As it starts to grow late, you turn into a fool (ふ). You ever get increasingly delirious and giggly with friends as the night wears on? Yeah, you've been there. The later it gets, the more deeply foolish you become. What is that weird, late-night energy anyway?
夜が更ける
the night deepens, the night grows late
一日が更ける
the day wears on, it gets late in the day
秋が更ける
autumn deepens, it gets further into autumn
秋も更けて、もうすぐキノコが美味しいシーズンですね。
We're getting further into autumn, and the season for tasty mushrooms is just around the corner now, isn't it?
こうして夜は更けて行ったのでした。
And so the night wore on.
保育園用のオムツ一つ一つに子供の名前と似顔絵をかいてたら、すっかり夜が更けちゃったんだよね。
I was writing my kid's name and drawing a picture of his face on each of his diapers for daycare, and before I knew it, it had gotten really late into the night.