Japanese Time Words: Complete Guide to Japanese Time Expressions and Particles

So you're learning Japanese and you want to know how to tell time. Good call, because asking what time the train leaves or when a restaurant opens is pretty essential stuff when you're actually using the language. You've got your hours, your minutes, some counters that change pronunciation depending on the number, and a few particles that tie everything together. Sounds complicated? It really isn't once you see how it all fits together. Let me walk you through everything you need to know about time in Japanese, from asking "what time is it?" to expressing complex schedules like a native speaker would.

How to ask for the time in Japanese

The most common phrase you'll use when you want to know the current time is:
？
What time is it now?

Let's break this down. Ima () means "now", nanji () means "what time", and desu ka (ですか) is the polite question marker. You'll hear this everywhere in Japan.

A slightly more casual version drops the "ima":
？
What time is it?

When someone asks you the time, you respond with the hour plus the particle ji (). For example, if it's 3 o'clock, you'd say sanji desu ().

Understanding hours: The basics of ji counter

In Japanese, you tell hours using numbers followed by the counter ji (), which is the kanji for "time" or "hour". Most hours follow a predictable pattern, but a few have irregular pronunciations that you'll need to memorize.

Here's the complete breakdown:

The tricky ones are 4, 7, and 9. For 4 o'clock, you say yoji, never "shiji" (which sounds like the word for death). For 7 o'clock, shichiji is more common, though nanaji works too. And 9 o'clock is kuji, using the native Japanese number instead of the Sino-Japanese "kyuu".

Minutes: The fun and pun counters

Minutes in Japanese use two different counters: fun () and pun (). Yeah, same kanji, different pronunciation depending on which number comes before it. This is where the Japanese language gets a bit tricky with its counter system.

The pronunciation changes based on phonetic rules that make the words easier to say. Here's what you need to know:

For minutes beyond 10, you combine these patterns. So 15 minutes is juugofun (15分 ), 23 minutes is nijuusanpun (23分 ), and so on.

Notice how 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 use pun, while 2, 5, 7, and 9 use fun. The pattern has to do with how the sounds flow together in Japanese pronunciation. You'll get used to it with practice.

Putting hours and minutes together to tell time in Japanese

When you combine hours and minutes, the hour comes first, then the minutes. Simple enough.

The particle ni (に) often appears when you're talking about a specific time something happens. For example:
。
Let's meet at 10 o'clock.

Half past: Using han

When it's half past the hour, Japanese has a convenient shortcut: han (), which means "half".

3:30 in Japanese is sanji han (3時半 )

You can also say sanji sanjuppun (3時30分 ) if you want to be more specific, but han is way more common in everyday conversation. It's quicker and sounds more natural.

AM and PM: Gozen and gogo

Japanese distinguishes between morning and evening times using gozen () for AM and gogo () for PM.

Gozen literally means "before noon" and gogo means "after noon". They go at the beginning of the time expression.

In casual conversation, people often drop these if the context makes it obvious whether you're talking about morning or evening. If you're discussing breakfast, nobody needs you to specify gozen.

Time approximations: Sugi, goro, and iko

Real conversations about time aren't always precise. Sometimes you need to say "around 3 o'clock" or "after 5". Japanese has specific words for these approximations.

These expressions make your Japanese sound way more natural when you're making plans or describing schedules.

Other time words and phrases you should know

Time in Japanese goes beyond just hours and minutes. Here are some related words that come up constantly:

Cultural context: Punctuality in Japan

When you learn Japanese time words, understanding the cultural importance of punctuality helps. Being on time in Japan means arriving a few minutes early. If a meeting starts at 10:00, showing up at 10:00 is borderline late.

This cultural context makes time expressions really important. When someone says juuji goro (around 10), they still mean pretty close to 10, not 10:30. The approximation is smaller than you might expect in other cultures.

Master telling the time in Japanese via practice!

The counter system for minutes takes practice. You can't just logic your way through whether it's fun or pun without memorizing the patterns. Same with the irregular hours like yoji and kuji.

My advice?

Real-world practice beats memorizing tables every time.

Anyway, if you want to practice these time expressions with real Japanese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and phrases instantly while watching shows or reading articles. Makes learning from immersion way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Learn Japanese with Migaku

Final advice?

Start using these phrases in real situations. Set your phone to Japanese and read the time out loud. When you're watching Japanese content, pay attention to how people talk about schedules and appointments. You'll pick up the natural rhythm and pronunciation way faster than just drilling tables.

Overcome the inconvenience of immersion at first, and you'll make true progress.