Japanese Grammar Bank

HOW TO TELL TIME IN JAPANESE

Being a Japanese learner, you must understand the importance punctuality (try finding a train in Japan that’s late)!

Truthfully speaking, if you don’t want to be considered “late” for a meeting, you must reach the venue at least 10 minutes early!

To be on time, you need to be familiar with time in Japanese. Today, we are going to help you with just that.

HOURS IN JAPANESE

When speaking, the twelve-hour clock is more commonly used whereas when written, either the twelve-hour clock or the twenty-four-hour clock is used for telling time in Japanese.

For scheduling meetings and train timings, the twenty-four-hour clock is used. 

When using the twelve-hour clock, add 午前 (gozen) meaning “a.m.” or 午後 (gogo) meaning “p.m.”.

You must remember the numbers in Japanese too of course. You just have to add 時 (ji), meaning “hour” or “o’clock,” after the Japanese numbers.

PATTERN

Number + 時

Keep in mind that Arabic numerals are commonly used (0, 1, 2, 3 etc).

KANJIHIRAGANAROMAJIMEANING
一時いちじichi-ji1 o’clock
二時にじni-ji2 o’clock
三時さんじsan-ji3 o’clock
四時よじyo-ji4 o’clock
五時ごじgo-ji5 o’clock
VIEW MORE HOURS
六時ろくじroku-ji6 o’clock
七時しちじshichi-ji7 o’clock
八時はちじhachi-ji8 o’clock
九時くじku-ji9 o’clock
十時じゅうじjū-ji10 o’clock
十一時じゅういちじjū ichi-ji11 o’clock
十二時じゅうにじjū ni-ji12 o’clock

COMMON MISTAKE | Pronouncing 4 o’clock and 9 o’clock as yon-ji and kyuu-ji instead of yo-ji and ku-ji. 

Here are some examples:

EXAMPLEROMAJIMEANING
会議は10時からです。Kaigi wa jū-ji kara desu.   The meeting is at ten o’clock.
明日の朝7時に来てください。Ashita no asa shichi-ji ni kite kudasai.Please come at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.

MINUTES IN JAPANESE

The counter for minutes is 分, pronounced as fun or pun.

Just like in English, 分, meaning “minute” is always added after the numbers when telling minutes in Japanese. 

PATTERN

Number + 分

Minutes are usually written with Arabic numerals rather than Kanji.

KANJIHIRAGANAROMAJIMEANING
一分いっぷんippun1 minute
二分にふんni-fun2 minutes
三分さんぷんsan-pun3 minutes
四分よんふんyon-fun4 minutes
五分ごふんgo-fun5 minutes
六分ろっぷんroppun6 minutes
VIEW MORE MINUTES
KANJIHIRAGANAROMAJIMEANING
七分ななふんnana-fun7 minutes
八分はっぷんhappun8 minutes
九分きゅうふんkyū-fun9 minutes
十分じゅっぷんjuppun10 minutes
二十分にじゅっぷんni-juppun20 minutes
三十分さんじゅっぷんsan-juppun30 minutes
四十分よんじゅっぷんyon-juppun40 minutes
五十分ごじゅっぷんgo-juppun50 minutes

Don’t get confused between the pronunciations of fun and pun!! You’ll notice they vary depending on the number.

Have a look at some examples:

EXAMPLEROMAJIMEANING
地震は朝9時24分に起きました。Jishin wa asa ku-ji ni-jū yon-fun ni okimashita. The earthquake occurred at 9:24 in the morning.
次の電車は午後4時47分に来ます。Tsugi no densha wa gogo yo-ji yon-jū nana-fun ni kimasu.     The next train comes at 4:47 p.m.

SECONDS IN JAPANESE

The counter for seconds is 秒 (びょう), pronounced as byou.

This counter is added after the number as a suffix just like hours and minutes. You won’t come across it much, but you should know it.

PATTERN

Number + 秒

HOURS DIVIDED INTO MINUTES

Telling time with minutes in Japanese is quite simple and there are no special terms or phrases to express certain groups of minutes, except for 半 (han) meaning “half.”

If you want to express “thirty minutes past” in Japanese, just add 半 (han), meaning “half,” after “number +時 (ji).”

PATTERN

Number + 時 + 半

Unlike in English, there’s no particular word for “quarter” when telling time in Japanese. It‘s simply “fifteen minutes,” i.e. 15分 (jū go-fun).

10 minutes to the next hour, such as 7, is expressed as: 7時10分前 (shichi-ji juppun mae) in Japanese, which literally means “ten minutes before seven o’clock.”

EXAMPLEROMAJIMEANING
飛行機は午後8時半に出発します。Hikōki wa gozen hachi-ji han ni shuppatsu shimasu. The airplane departs at 8:30 a.m.
今の時間は9時10分前です。Ima no jikan wa ku-ji juppun mae desu.The current time is ten minutes before nine o’clock.

TIMES OF THE DAY IN JAPANESE

What if you want to give a nonspecific or approximate time in Japanese?

Listed below is some basic vocabulary for describing time in Japanese based on the general time of day.

KANJIHIRAGANAREADINGMEANING
朝あさasaMorning
昼ひるhiruAfternoon
夜よるyoruNight
早朝そうちょうsouchouEarly morning
日の出ひのでhinodeSunrise
正午しょうごshougoNoon
日中にっちゅうnicchuuMidday
夕方ゆうがたyuugataEarly evening
日没にちぼつnichibotsuSunset
深夜しんやshinyaMidnight

Take a look at some examples:

EXAMPLEROMAJIMEANING
明日の夜8時に夕食を食べましょう。Ashita no yoru hachi-ji ni yūshoku o tabemashō.     Let’s have dinner at eight o’clock tomorrow evening.
私の飛行機は深夜12時3分に出発します。Watashi no hikōki wa shin’ya jū ni-ji san-pun ni shuppatsu shimasu.My plane departs at 12:03 midnight.

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FAQs

How do you say the hour in Japanese?

You write the number and add 時・じ・ji.

For example 8’o Clock is ８時

How do you say seconds in Japanese?

The counter for seconds is 秒・びょう・byou.

How do you say morning?

朝・あさ・asa means morning in Japanese.

How do you say minutes in Japanese?

The counter for minutes is 分, pronounced as fun or pun.

For example ８時７分・８じ7ふん

How do you say 30 minutes past the hour?

If you want to express “thirty minutes past” in Japanese, just add 半 (han), meaning “half,” after “number +時 (ji).”

What is night in Japanese?

夜・よる・yoru means night in Japanese.

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