How to discuss clock time in Japanese?

In Japanese, the most common way say the clock time is to give the number of hours, marked by 〜時[ji], followed by the number of minutes, marked by 〜分[fun/pun]:

A time like 3:00 can be written a number of different ways:

• All in Arabic numbers → 3:00

• All in kanji → 三時[san ji]

• Arabic number and kanji → ３時

• Hiragana → ３じ / さんじ

The basic formula is pretty simple, but there is a lot more to learn! In this post, we’ll start by going over how to read a clock in detail, then we’ll talk about how to use clock times in Japanese sentences. Let’s dive in!

As we indicated above, the time in Japanese is most often read using the formula:

However, if you want to use this formula correctly, you’ll need to learn some pronunciation rules. In this section, we’ll go over how to combine numbers of hours, minutes, and seconds with counter words. We’ll talk about some other ways you can read a clock in Japanese that are equivalent to “half past six” or “three minutes to two.” Let’s have a look!

When giving the time, the Japanese counter 時[ji] is used after the number of hours. With times on the hour, it is equivalent to “o’clock” in English.

You may recall that the numbers 4, 7, and 9 have two possible readings. Here are the readings you should use when they’re used with 時[ji].

Here’s a little chart summarizing the proper readings for each hour in Japanese:

When reading the time, the word 分 will come after the number of minutes. This word can be read different ways: ふん[fun] or ぷん[pun], depending on the number that comes before it.

As you see, the pronunciation of the numbers 1, 6, 8 (alternative reading), and 10 is also affected by being used before the word 分.

When using larger numbers of minutes, you should use the last part of the number word to determine how 分 should be pronounced. For example:

When you want to give the time with hours and minutes, you’ll need to use the formula below:

Let’s go through the Japanese equivalents to some common ways you might want to use clock times in English sentences:

• When an event begins:

  When a clock time is the start time of an event in Japanese, like the phrase "at 3:00", it is followed by the particle に[ni] which in this context means “at”:

  Start time

  に

  ni

  朝は何時に起きますか。

  Asa wa nan ji ni okimasu ka.

  (At) what time do you get up in the morning?

  たいてい７時に起きます。

  Taitei shichi ji ni okimasu.

  I usually get up at 7 o’clock.

• The duration of an event:

  In Japanese, we use the pair of words から ... まで[kara ... made] with times like you would use “from 3:00 to 4:00” in English. Just remember that these words follow the clock time instead!

  Start time

  から

  kara

  End time

  まで

  made

  仕事は何時から何時 までですか。

  Shigoto wa nan ji kara nan ji made desu ka.

  From what time till what time are your work hours?

  午前９時 から午後５時までです。

  Gozen ku ji kara gogo go ji made desu.

  They’re from 9:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.

• The approximate time of an event:

  To discuss an approximate time, like you might use “about” or “around” in English, you can use ごろ[goro] after the clock time. ごろ[goro] is not a particle, but a variation of the noun ころ[koro](approximate time), used as a suffix.

  Approximate time

  ごろ

  goro

  明日は何時ごろ (に) 出かけましょうか。

  Ashita wa nan ji goro (ni) dekakemasho ka.

  (At) around what time should we go out tomorrow?

  → Notice that you can optionally use に[ni] after ごろ in this sentence!

  １１時ごろはどうですか。

  Jūichi ji goro wa dō desu ka.

  How about around eleven o’clock?

• Asking when an event happens:

  Though you can use question words like 何時[nan ji](what time) to ask for a clock time, you can also answer questions with the generic question word いつ[itsu](when) using a clock time. For example:

  Speaker A:

  この列車はいつ発車しますか。

  Kono ressha wa itsu hassha shimasu ka.

  When is this train going to depart?

  → Note that you should not use に[ni] after いつ[itsu]

  Speaker B:

  ４時１５分に発車します.

  Yoji jūgo fun ni hassha shimasu.

  It’s going to depart at 4:15.

  You can also answer いつ[itu] questions with longer phrases or with days, months, or years though!

To describe an amount or length of time like “three hours” or “fifteen minutes” in Japanese, just add 間[kan] after the appropriate counter for hours, minutes, or seconds.

It’s actually easier than that, though, because when you’re working with a duration of minutes or seconds, 間[kan] is often dropped, especially when discussing durations of 1 minute or 1 second. So the phrases below can have two meanings:

Though, to talk about a duration of hours, you’ll need the ending 間[kan] after 何[ji], with minutes and seconds it just emphasizes that you’re discussing a duration.

In this article, we found out how to ask and tell the point of time and the duration of time in everyday conversations. Here’s a quick summary.

Now it’s time to practice! Check out this Japanese clock time reference sheet or test your skills with our Japanese clock time activities to practice what we covered. Or, if you’d rather learn more about times and dates in Japanese, check out our post on calendar dates. Happy learning!