Japanese Time Expressions: Complete Guide to Telling Time, Days, and Dates
Master Japanese time expressions with our complete guide. Learn how to tell time, say days of the week, months, dates, and essential time-related phrases. Perfect for travelers and beginners!
Time is Essential!
Whether you're scheduling meetings, catching trains, or making dinner plans in Japan, knowing how to express time is absolutely crucial. This guide covers everything you need!
Imagine trying to meet a friend in Tokyo without knowing how to say "3 PM on Tuesday"! Time expressions are among the most practical Japanese you'll ever learn. The good news? Japanese time expressions follow logical patterns that are actually easier than English once you get the hang of it.
How to Tell Time in Japanese
Let's start with the basics: telling time on a clock.
Hours (๏ฝๆ ji)
Hours 1-12
- 1:00 - ไธๆ (ichi-ji)
- 2:00 - ไบๆ (ni-ji)
- 3:00 - ไธๆ (san-ji)
- 4:00 - ๅๆ (yo-ji) Note: NOT yon-ji
- 5:00 - ไบๆ (go-ji)
- 6:00 - ๅ ญๆ (roku-ji)
- 7:00 - ไธๆ (shichi-ji) Note: NOT nana-ji
- 8:00 - ๅ ซๆ (hachi-ji)
- 9:00 - ไนๆ (ku-ji) Note: NOT kyuu-ji
- 10:00 - ๅๆ (juu-ji)
- 11:00 - ๅไธๆ (juu-ichi-ji)
- 12:00 - ๅไบๆ (juu-ni-ji)
Special Pronunciations
Pay attention to 4:00 (yo-ji), 7:00 (shichi-ji), and 9:00 (ku-ji). These use special readings to avoid confusion!
Minutes (๏ฝๅ fun/pun)
Minutes are trickier because the pronunciation changes:
Minutes Guide
Pattern 1: fun
- 2ๅ (ni-fun), 5ๅ (go-fun), 7ๅ (nana-fun), 9ๅ (kyuu-fun)
Pattern 2: pun
- 1ๅ (ip-pun), 3ๅ (san-pun), 4ๅ (yon-pun), 6ๅ (rop-pun), 8ๅ (hap-pun), 10ๅ (jup-pun)
Every 5 minutes:
- 5ๅ (go-fun) - 5 minutes
- 10ๅ (jup-pun) - 10 minutes
- 15ๅ (juu-go-fun) - 15 minutes
- 20ๅ (ni-jup-pun) - 20 minutes
- 25ๅ (ni-juu-go-fun) - 25 minutes
- 30ๅ (san-jup-pun) or ๅ (han) - half past
- 45ๅ (yon-juu-go-fun) - 45 minutes
Putting It Together
To say the time, just combine hours + minutes:
- 3:15 โ ไธๆๅไบๅ (san-ji juu-go-fun)
- 7:30 โ ไธๆๅ (shichi-ji han) or ไธๆไธๅๅ (shichi-ji san-jup-pun)
- 9:45 โ ไนๆๅๅไบๅ (ku-ji yon-juu-go-fun)
Days of the Week (ๆๆฅ youbi)
Japanese days of the week are based on elements and celestial bodies:
Days of the Week
- Monday - ๆๆๆฅ (getsuyoubi) - Moon day
- Tuesday - ็ซๆๆฅ (kayoubi) - Fire day
- Wednesday - ๆฐดๆๆฅ (suiyoubi) - Water day
- Thursday - ๆจๆๆฅ (mokuyoubi) - Wood day
- Friday - ้ๆๆฅ (kinyoubi) - Gold/Metal day
- Saturday - ๅๆๆฅ (doyoubi) - Earth day
- Sunday - ๆฅๆๆฅ (nichiyoubi) - Sun day
Memory Trick
The first five days follow the Chinese five elements: Moon, Fire, Water, Wood, Metal. Weekend days are Earth and Sun!
Months of the Year (ๆ gatsu)
This is the easiest part - just add ๆ (gatsu) to numbers:
All 12 Months
- January - ไธๆ (ichi-gatsu)
- February - ไบๆ (ni-gatsu)
- March - ไธๆ (san-gatsu)
- April - ๅๆ (shi-gatsu)
- May - ไบๆ (go-gatsu)
- June - ๅ ญๆ (roku-gatsu)
- July - ไธๆ (shichi-gatsu)
- August - ๅ ซๆ (hachi-gatsu)
- September - ไนๆ (ku-gatsu)
- October - ๅๆ (juu-gatsu)
- November - ๅไธๆ (juu-ichi-gatsu)
- December - ๅไบๆ (juu-ni-gatsu)
Dates (ๆฅ nichi/ka)
Dates are the most complex because the first 10 days have special names:
Dates 1-10 (Special)
- 1st - ไธๆฅ (tsuitachi) Completely irregular!
- 2nd - ไบๆฅ (futsuka)
- 3rd - ไธๆฅ (mikka)
- 4th - ๅๆฅ (yokka)
- 5th - ไบๆฅ (itsuka)
- 6th - ๅ ญๆฅ (muika)
- 7th - ไธๆฅ (nanoka)
- 8th - ๅ ซๆฅ (youka)
- 9th - ไนๆฅ (kokonoka)
- 10th - ๅๆฅ (tooka)
Dates 11-31 (Regular)
From 11th onwards, mostly add ใซใก (nichi):
- 11th - ๅไธๆฅ (juu-ichi-nichi)
- 12th - ๅไบๆฅ (juu-ni-nichi)
- 13th - ๅไธๆฅ (juu-san-nichi)
Exceptions:
- 14th - ๅๅๆฅ (juu-yokka)
- 20th - ไบๅๆฅ (hatsuka)
- 24th - ไบๅๅๆฅ (ni-juu-yokka)
Time-Related Vocabulary
Times of Day
Parts of the Day
- Morning - ๆ (asa)
- Noon - ๆผ (hiru)
- Afternoon - ๅๅพ (gogo)
- Evening - ๅคๆน (yuugata)
- Night - ๅค (yoru)
- Midnight - ็ๅคไธญ (mayonaka)
- Dawn - ๆใๆน (akegata)
Relative Time
Past, Present, Future
Days:
- Today - ไปๆฅ (kyou)
- Yesterday - ๆจๆฅ (kinou)
- Tomorrow - ๆๆฅ (ashita)
- Day before yesterday - ไธๆจๆฅ (ototoi)
- Day after tomorrow - ๆๅพๆฅ (asatte)
Weeks:
- This week - ไป้ฑ (konshuu)
- Last week - ๅ ้ฑ (senshuu)
- Next week - ๆฅ้ฑ (raishuu)
General:
- Now - ไป (ima)
- Later - ๅพใง (ato de)
- Soon - ใใ (sugu)
- Recently - ๆ่ฟ (saikin)
Essential Time Phrases
Here are must-know phrases for daily conversation:
Most Useful Phrases
These five phrases will cover 80% of your time-related conversations!
- ไปไฝๆใงใใ๏ผ (ima nan-ji desu ka?) - What time is it now?
- ไฝๆใซไผใใพใใใใ๏ผ (nan-ji ni aimashล ka?) - What time shall we meet?
- ไฝๆๆฅใงใใ๏ผ (nan-yลbi desu ka?) - What day of the week is it?
- ไปๆฅใฏไฝๆฅใงใใ๏ผ (kyล wa nan-nichi desu ka?) - What's today's date?
- ไฝๆใใไฝๆใพใงใงใใ๏ผ (nan-ji kara nan-ji made desu ka?) - From what time to what time?
Common Time Patterns
Making Appointments
Appointment Phrases
-
[Day]ใฎ[Time]ใซ - On [Day] at [Time]
-
Example: ๆๆๆฅใฎไธๆใซ (getsuyลbi no san-ji ni) - On Monday at 3 o'clock
-
[Date]ๆฅใฎ[Time]ใซ - On the [Date] at [Time]
-
Example: ๅไบๆฅใฎๅๅพไบๆใซ (jลซgo-nichi no gogo ni-ji ni) - On the 15th at 2 PM
Duration
To express duration, add ้ (kan):
- ไธๆ้ (ichi-jikan) - 1 hour
- ไธๅๅ้ (sanjuppun-kan) - 30 minutes
- ไบ้ฑ้ (ni-shลซkan) - 2 weeks
- ไธใถๆ้ (san-kagetsu-kan) - 3 months
Quick Reference Card
Save This for Later!
Screenshot this section for a handy reference when you're out and about in Japan!
Time Quick Reference:
- Hour: ๏ฝๆ (ji)
- Minute: ๏ฝๅ (fun/pun)
- Half past: ๅ (han)
- AM: ๅๅ (gozen)
- PM: ๅๅพ (gogo)
- What time?: ไฝๆ๏ผ (nan-ji?)
- When?: ใใค๏ผ (itsu?)
Cultural Notes
Time Culture in Japan
- Punctuality is crucial - Being on time is a sign of respect
- 24-hour time is common for schedules and transportation
- "About" time - Use ใใ (goro) after time for "around/about"
- Example: ไธๆใใ (san-ji goro) - Around 3 o'clock
Conclusion
Congratulations! You now have all the tools to handle time in Japanese. Whether you're catching the 7:15 morning train, meeting friends for lunch on Saturday, or scheduling a dentist appointment for the 23rd, you're ready.
Remember:
- Practice telling the time whenever you look at a clock
- Use a Japanese calendar to get familiar with dates
- Set your phone to display Japanese days of the week
Time expressions might seem overwhelming at first, but they're used so frequently that you'll master them quickly through daily practice.
ๆ้ใๅคงๅใซ๏ผ(Jikan wo taisetsu ni! - Value your time!)
Keita Sensei
Founder of Suppai
Passionate about making Japanese learning accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Follow for more tips and insights into mastering the Japanese language! ๐