Telling Time in Japanese: Essential Phrases and Words

Understanding how to tell time in Japanese is a fundamental skill that can greatly enhance your experience when visiting or living in Japan. Whether you’re scheduling a meeting, catching a train, or planning a day out, knowing how to express time accurately is essential. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about telling time in Japanese, from basic numbers to more complex time expressions.

Why Telling Time in Japanese is Important

Japan is a country where punctuality is highly valued. Trains arrive on the dot, meetings start precisely as scheduled, and being on time is a sign of respect. By learning how to tell time in Japanese, you not only navigate daily activities more smoothly but also show cultural appreciation.

Basic Japanese Numbers

Before diving into telling time, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the basic Japanese numbers, especially 1 through 12.

Number	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
1	一	いち	ichi
2	二	に	ni
3	三	さん	san
4	四	よん	yon
5	五	ご	go
6	六	ろく	roku
7	七	なな	nana
8	八	はち	hachi
9	九	きゅう	kyū
10	十	じゅう	jū
11	十一	じゅういち	jū-ichi
12	十二	じゅうに	jū-ni

Note: The numbers 4 (よん) and 7 (なな) are used when telling time to avoid confusion, as alternative readings (し for 4 and しち for 7) can sound like other words.

Hours in Japanese

To express hours, you simply add 時 (じ, ji) after the number.

Examples:

• • 1 o’clock: 一時 (いちじ, ichi-ji)

• • 2 o’clock: 二時 (にじ, ni-ji)

• • 3 o’clock: 三時 (さんじ, san-ji)

• • 4 o’clock: 四時 (よじ, yo-ji) Note the pronunciation change.

• • 7 o’clock: 七時 (しちじ, shichi-ji) or (ななじ, nana-ji)

Important Pronunciation Notes:

• • 4 o’clock is pronounced yo-ji, not yon-ji.

• • 7 o’clock can be pronounced shichi-ji, but some prefer nana-ji to avoid confusion.

Minutes in Japanese

Minutes are expressed by adding 分 (ふん/ぷん, fun/pun) after the number. The reading changes depending on the preceding number due to phonetic reasons.

Minute Pronunciations:

Minutes	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
1	一分	いっぷん	ippun
2	二分	にふん	ni-fun
3	三分	さんぷん	san-pun
4	四分	よんぷん	yon-pun
5	五分	ごふん	go-fun
6	六分	ろっぷん	roppun
7	七分	ななふん	nana-fun
8	八分	はっぷん	happun
9	九分	きゅうふん	kyū-fun
10	十分	じゅっぷん	juppun

Note: Pay attention to the rendaku (voicing of consonants) which changes fun to pun in certain numbers.

Examples:

• • 5 minutes: 五分 (ごふん, go-fun)

• • 10 minutes: 十分 (じゅっぷん, juppun)

• • 15 minutes: 十五分 (じゅうごふん, jū go-fun)

• • 30 minutes: 三十分 (さんじゅっぷん, san-juppun)

AM and PM: Gozen and Gogo

Japanese uses the 12-hour clock in daily conversation. To specify AM or PM, you add 午前 (ごぜん, gozen) for AM and 午後 (ごご, gogo) for PM before the time.

Examples:

• • 10 AM: 午前十時 (ごぜん じゅうじ, gozen jū-ji)

• • 3 PM: 午後三時 (ごご さんじ, gogo san-ji)

Expressing Half and Quarter Hours

Half Past

To express “half past” the hour, add 半 (はん, han) after the hour.

• • Example: 1:30 is 一時半 (いちじはん, ichi-ji han)

Quarter Past and Quarter To

While Japanese doesn’t use “quarter past” or “quarter to” as English does, you can express these times using minutes.

• • Quarter Past: Add 15 minutes.
    
    • • Example: 2:15 is 二時十五分 (にじじゅうごふん, ni-ji jū go-fun)

• • Quarter To: Use the expression 前 (まえ, mae) meaning “before”.
    
    • • Example: 3:45 (15 minutes before 4) is 四時十五分前 (よじじゅうごふんまえ, yo-ji jū go-fun mae)

Asking for the Time

Here are common phrases to ask for the time:

• • What time is it now?
    
    • • 今何時ですか。(Ima nan-ji desu ka?)

• • Do you know the time?
    
    • • 今何時かわかりますか。(Ima nan-ji ka wakarimasu ka?)

• • Excuse me, what time is it?
    
    • • すみません、今何時ですか。(Sumimasen, ima nan-ji desu ka?)

Sample Dialogue:

Person A: すみません、今何時ですか。
(Sumimasen, ima nan-ji desu ka?)
Excuse me, what time is it now?

Person B: 午後二時半です。
(Gogo ni-ji han desu.)
It’s 2:30 PM.

Common Time-Related Vocabulary

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
Morning	朝	あさ	asa
Afternoon	午後	ごご	gogo
Evening	夕方	ゆうがた	yūgata
Night	夜	よる	yoru
Now	今	いま	ima
Minute	分	ふん / ぷん	fun / pun
Hour	時	じ	ji
Time	時間	じかん	jikan
Before	前	まえ	mae
After	後	あと	ato

Example Sentences:

• • I’ll meet you at 6 PM.
    午後六時に会いましょう。
    (Gogo roku-ji ni aimashō.)

• • The store opens at 10 AM.
    午前十時に店が開きます。
    (Gozen jū-ji ni mise ga akimasu.)

• • He arrived ten minutes ago.
    彼は十分前に到着しました。
    (Kare wa juppun mae ni tōchaku shimashita.)

Practice Makes Perfect

Exercise 1: Convert to Japanese Time Expressions

1. 1. 7:15 AM
      
      • • Answer: 午前七時十五分 (ごぜんしちじじゅうごふん, gozen shichi-ji jū go-fun)

1. 1. 12:45 PM
      
      • • Answer: 午後十二時四十五分 (ごごじゅうにじよんじゅうごふん, gogo jū-ni-ji yon-jū go-fun)

1. 1. 9:30 PM
      
      • • Answer: 午後九時半 (ごごくじはん, gogo ku-ji han)

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

• • [ ]時[ ]分前です。
    It’s [ ] minutes before [ ] o’clock.

• • Answer Example: 五時五分前です。
    (Go-ji go-fun mae desu.)
    It’s five minutes before five o’clock (4:55).

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Conclusion

Mastering how to tell time in Japanese opens up a new level of communication and understanding. It’s an essential skill for daily life, travel, and building relationships in Japan. With this guide, you have all the tools you need to practice and become proficient. Remember, consistency is key—so keep practicing, and soon it’ll become second nature.