Time to Learn: Hours & Minutes
Time to Learn: Hours & Minutes
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.
Examples:
- 今、一時です。 (Ima, ichi-ji desu.) - It's 1 o'clock now.
- 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 gogo before 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.
- 6時5分前 (roku-ji go-fun mae) - 5 minutes before 6 o'clock (5:55)
- 4時10分過ぎ (yo-ji juppun sugi) - 10 minutes past 4 o'clock (4:10)
- 10時3分過ぎ (juu-ji san-pun sugi) - 3 minutes past 10 (10:03)
6. Practice
Try saying these times in Japanese:
- 5:10
- 8:25
- 11:45
- 1:30 PM
- 6:00 AM
- 9:53
- 12:00 PM (noon)
Answer 1: 5:10
五時十分 (Go-ji juppun)Answer 2: 8:25
八時二十五分 (Hachi-ji nijuu-go-fun)Answer 3: 11:45
十一時四十五分 (Juuichi-ji yonjuu-go-fun)Answer 4: 1:30 PM
午後一時半 (Gogo ichi-ji han) OR 午後一時三十分 (Gogo ichi-ji sanjuppun)Answer 5: 6:00 AM
午前六時 (Gozen roku-ji)Answer 6: 9:53
九時五十三分 (Ku-ji gojuusanpun)Answer 7: 12:00 PM (noon)
午後零時 (Gogo reiji) OR 午後十二時 (Gogo juuni-ji)7. Common Mistakes to Avoid
- 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.