Understanding how to tell time is essential in Japanese. In this lesson, you'll learn how to express hours and minutes, ask for the time, and answer time-related questions. This lesson will also cover related vocabulary like AM/PM, half-past, and some nuances in pronunciation.
1. Hours (時 - ji)
To say the hour, use the number + 時 (じ - ji). There are a couple of pronunciations that need special attention, as they deviate from the regular counting system.
Number
Japanese
Pronunciation
Notes
1
一時
ichi-ji
2
二時
ni-ji
3
三時
san-ji
4
四時
yo-ji
Important! Not shi-ji.
5
五時
go-ji
6
六時
roku-ji
7
七時
shichi-ji
Sometimes nana-ji is also used, but shichi-ji is more common.
8
八時
hachi-ji
9
九時
ku-ji
10
十時
juu-ji
11
十一時
juuichi-ji
12
十二時
juuni-ji
Key Takeaways:
Remember that 4 o'clock is "yo-ji" (よじ) and not "shi-ji" (しじ).
7 o'clock is generally "shichi-ji" (しちじ), although "nana-ji" (ななじ) is also acceptable.
会議は四時からです。 (Kaigi wa yo-ji kara desu.) - The meeting is from 4 o'clock.
七時に朝ごはんを食べます。(Shichi-ji ni asagohan o tabemasu.) - I eat breakfast at 7 o'clock.
Try it! What time is it in Japanese? 2 o'clock
二時 (Ni-ji)
Try it! What time is it in Japanese? 9 o'clock
九時 (Ku-ji)
2. Minutes (分 - fun / pun)
Minutes are added after the hour using the number + 分 (ふん / ぷん - fun/pun). The pronunciation changes depending on the preceding number, making this section a bit trickier. Pay close attention to the exceptions!
Number
Japanese
Pronunciation
Notes
1
一分
ippun
2
二分
nifun
3
三分
sanpun
4
四分
yonpun
5
五分
gofun
6
六分
roppun
Notice the double "p".
7
七分
nanafun
8
八分
happun
Notice the double "p".
9
九分
kyuufun
10
十分
juppun
Can also be pronounced as jifun. Juppun is more common. Notice the double "p".
11
十一分
juuichipun
12
十二分
juunifun
13
十三分
juusanpun
14
十四分
juuyonpun
15
十五分
juugofun
20
二十分
nijuppun
Notice the double "p".
30
三十分
sanjuppun
Notice the double "p". Also, han (半) can be used (see below).
Key Takeaways:
"ppun" ( っぷん): Generally occurs after numbers ending in 1, 6, 8, and 10.
Examples:
一時一分 (Ichi-ji ippun) - 1:01
六時六分 (Roku-ji roppun) - 6:06
八時八分 (Hachi-ji happun) - 8:08
十時十分 (Juu-ji juppun) - 10:10
三時二十三分 (San-ji nijuusanpun) - 3:23
Try it! What time is it in Japanese? 1:03
一時三分 (Ichi-ji sanpun)
Try it! What time is it in Japanese? 5:06
五時六分 (Go-ji roppun)
3. Telling the Time: Putting it All Together
The structure is: [hour] 時 (ji) [minute] 分 (fun/pun)
Examples:
3:15 → 三時十五分 (san-ji juu-go-fun)
7:30 → 七時三十分 (shichi-ji sanjuppun) OR 七時半 (shichi-ji han) - more on 半 below!
12:01 → 十二時一分 (juuni-ji ippun)
10:48 → 十時四十八分 (juu-ji yonjuuhappun)
2:52 → 二時五十二分 (ni-ji gojuunifun)
4. Asking for the Time
今何時ですか？ (Ima nanji desu ka?) - What time is it now?
今 (ima) - now
何時 (nanji) - what time
ですか (desu ka) - a polite question marker
Example Answers:
今は六時です。(Ima wa roku-ji desu.) - It is 6 o'clock now.
今は九時半です。(Ima wa ku-ji han desu.) - It is half past nine now.
三時十五分です。(San-ji juugofun desu.) - It's 3:15.
5. More Useful Time-Related Vocabulary
午前 (gozen) - AM (ante meridiem)
午後 (gogo) - PM (post meridiem)
半 (han) - Half (used to indicate 30 minutes past the hour)
Using 午前 (gozen) and 午後 (gogo):
Place gozen or gogobefore the hour.
午前八時 (gozen hachi-ji) - 8 AM
午後三時 (gogo san-ji) - 3 PM
午前零時 (gozen reiji) - 12 AM (midnight). Reiji (零時) literally means "zero hour."
午後零時 (gogo reiji) - 12 PM (noon)
Using 半 (han):
Han (半) means "half". You can use it to say "half past" the hour. It replaces the "30 minutes" part.
Example: 7:30 → 七時半 (shichi-ji han) - half past seven.
Another Example: 1:30 → 一時半 (ichi-ji han) - half past one.
午前十時半 (gozen juu-ji han) - 10:30 AM
午後五時半 (gogo go-ji han) - 5:30 PM
Expressions of time relative to the hour.
〜前 (mae) - ~ before
〜過ぎ (sugi) - ~ past
These are less precise and used more conversationally. They're typically used for minutes relatively close to the hour or half hour.
Confusing 四時 (yo-ji) with 死時 (shi-ji): The pronunciation of "shi" can sometimes sound similar to "yon" (four), but avoid using "shi-ji" for 4 o'clock. 死 (shi) means death!
Forgetting the "っ" in roppun/happun/juppun: Emphasize the doubled consonant in these pronunciations.
Using "nana-ji" consistently: While acceptable for 7 o'clock, "shichi-ji" is generally preferred.
Ignoring particles: Remember to use particles like "に (ni)" to indicate when something happens. For example, "六時に起きます (Roku-ji ni okimasu)" - I wake up at 6 o'clock.