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Telling the Time

8 min

The hours with 時じ, the minutes with 分ふん, 半はん for the half hour, 午前ごぜん and 午後ごご, and how to ask for and say the time. The hour comes first, then the minutes: 三時さんじ十分じゅっぷん

Summary

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PointRuleExampleEnglishLevel
Hoursnumber + じさんじ / じゅうにじthree o'clock / twelve o'clock
Four, seven, nineよじ, しちじ, くじよじ / しちじ / くじfour o'clock / seven o'clock / nine o'clock
What time?なんじいまなんじですか。 — ごじです。What time is it now? — It's five o'clock.
Minutesnumber + ふん or ぷん, by the last number二時にじ五分ごふん / 二時にじ十分じゅっぷん2:05 / 2:10
Half past半はん after the hour三時さんじ半はん3:30
A.m. and p.m.午前ごぜん or 午後ごご before the time午後ごご三時さんじ3 p.m.
At a timeに after the time; 何時なんじに asks it七時しちじに朝あさごはんを食たべます。I have breakfast at seven.
About, to, just afterごろ for “about”; 前まえ before the hour, 過すぎ just after十時じゅうじごろ、寝ねます。I go to bed at about ten.
Trap3 and 6 minutes: さんぷん, ろっぷん二時にじ三分さんぷん2:03
Trap時じ names the clock hour, 時間じかん counts hours日本語にほんごを二時間にじかん勉強べんきょうします。I study Japanese for two hours.

The hours

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TimeEnglishLevel
いちじone o'clock
にじtwo o'clock
さんじthree o'clock
よじfour o'clock
ごじfive o'clock
ろくじsix o'clock
しちじseven o'clock
はちじeight o'clock
くじnine o'clock
じゅうじten o'clock
じゅういちじeleven o'clock
じゅうにじtwelve o'clock
  • An hour is its number plus じ: ごじ is five o'clock. ごじ / じゅうにじfive o'clock / twelve o'clock
  • Four, seven and nine take the readings よ, しち and く: よじ, しちじ, くじ. よじ / しちじ / くじfour o'clock / seven o'clock / nine o'clock
  • In writing the number is a kanji or a digit before 時じ. 三時さんじ / 十二時じゅうにじ / 3時じthree o'clock / twelve o'clock / three o'clock

Minutes

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TimeEnglishLevel
二時にじ一分いっぷん2:01
二時にじ二分にふん2:02
二時にじ三分さんぷん2:03
二時にじ四分よんぷん2:04
二時にじ五分ごふん2:05
二時にじ六分ろっぷん2:06
二時にじ七分ななふん2:07
二時にじ八分はっぷん2:08
二時にじ九分きゅうふん2:09
二時にじ十分じゅっぷん2:10
二時にじ十五分じゅうごふん2:15
二時にじ二十分にじゅっぷん2:20
二時にじ二十五分にじゅうごふん2:25
二時にじ四十五分よんじゅうごふん2:45
  • The last number decides: ふん after 2, 5, 7 and 9, ぷん after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 0, with a small っ after 1, 6, 8 and 10. 二時にじ十三分じゅうさんぷん / 二時にじ二十七分にじゅうななふん / 二時にじ四十八分よんじゅうはっぷん2:13 / 2:27 / 2:48
  • Minutes use よん, なな and きゅう, unlike the hours: よんぷん, ななふん, きゅうふん. 二時にじ四分よんぷん / 二時にじ七分ななふん / 二時にじ九分きゅうふん2:04 / 2:07 / 2:09
  • Other counters change their sounds in the same way. See Counters.

Half past, a.m. and p.m.

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  • Half past is 半はん after the hour: 三時半さんじはん is 3:30. The hour keeps its own number. 三時さんじ半はん / 十二時じゅうにじ半はん3:30 / 12:30
  • 午前ごぜん (morning, before noon) and 午後ごご (afternoon, after noon) come before the time. 午前ごぜん九時くじ / 午後ごご三時さんじ9 a.m. / 3 p.m.
  • Timetables and schedules also use the 24-hour clock: 十五時じゅうごじ is 3 p.m. 十五時じゅうごじ / 二十時にじゅうじ三十分さんじゅっぷん15:00 / 20:30

Asking and saying the time

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PointRuleExampleEnglishLevel
What time is it?なんじ, answered with the hour and ですいまなんじですか。 — ごじです。What time is it now? — It's five o'clock.
Hour and minute何時なんじ何分なんぷん今いま、何時なんじ何分なんぷんですか。 — 三時さんじ十分じゅっぷんです。What time is it exactly? — It's ten past three.
At what time?何時なんじに何時なんじに起おきますか。 — 六時ろくじ半はんに起おきます。What time do you get up? — I get up at half past six.
At a timeに follows the time. See Particles を, に, で, へ.七時しちじに朝あさごはんを食たべます。I have breakfast at seven.
From … to …から and まで follow the times. See Particles と, も, の.九時くじから五時ごじまで仕事しごとです。Work is from nine to five.
Aboutごろ after the time; it replaces nothing十時じゅうじごろ、寝ねます。I go to bed at about ten.
To the hour, just afterminutes + 前まえ counts toward the hour; 過すぎ follows it三時さんじ五分前ごふんまえです。 / 三時さんじ過すぎです。It's five to three. / It's just after three.
How many hours?時間じかん counts hours of duration. See Counters.日本語にほんごを二時間にじかん勉強べんきょうします。I study Japanese for two hours.

Typical errors

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WrongRightRuleLevel
よんじよじfour o'clock is よじ, never よんじ
きゅうじくじnine o'clock is くじ, never きゅうじ
二時にじ三分さんふん二時にじ三分さんぷんafter 3 the counter is ぷん, with a sound change, not ふん
二時にじ六分ろくふん二時にじ六分ろっぷん6 minutes is ろっぷん, with the small っ
九時くじ午前ごぜん午前ごぜん九時くじ午前ごぜん and 午後ごご stand before the time, not after it
半はん三時さんじ三時さんじ半はん半はん follows the hour: “half three” is 三時半さんじはん, with the hour first
日本語にほんごを二時にじ勉強べんきょうします。日本語にほんごを二時間にじかん勉強べんきょうします。時じ names a clock hour; a length of time takes 時間じかん

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