Telling time in Japanese
今何時ですか
Japanese is very regular: number + 時 for hours and number + 分 for minutes. There are just a few special readings to learn.
Try it
Drag the blue hand. Watch the Japanese change.
Japanese
English
Digital
The rules
Number + 時 (ji) for hours
Say the number then 時 (ji). Three irregular hours to remember: 4 is yo-ji (四時), 7 is shichi-ji (七時), 9 is ku-ji (九時).
- • 1:00 = 一時 (ichi-ji)
- • 4:00 = 四時 (yo-ji)
- • 9:00 = 九時 (ku-ji)
Number + 分 (fun / pun) for minutes
Say the number then 分. It is read "pun" after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and "fun" after the others.
- • 2:05 = 二時五分 (ni-ji go-fun)
- • 2:10 = 二時十分 (ni-ji juppun)
- • 2:15 = 二時十五分 (ni-ji jūgo-fun)
Half past is 半 (han)
For half past, say the hour and 半 (han). For am and pm, say 午前 (gozen) before the time for morning, or 午後 (gogo) for afternoon.
- • 3:30 = 三時半 (san-ji han)
- • 3:30 pm = 午後三時半 (gogo san-ji han)
Useful words
Printables| Japanese | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 今何時ですか (Ima nan-ji desu ka?) | What time is it now? | Asking the time |
| 〜時 (ji) | o'clock | 一時 ichi-ji = 1:00 |
| 〜分 (fun / pun) | minutes | 五分 go-fun = 5 minutes |
| 半 (han) | half past | 三時半 san-ji han = 3:30 |
| 午前 (gozen) | am (morning) | 午前九時 = 9 am |
| 午後 (gogo) | pm (afternoon) | 午後三時 = 3 pm |
| 正午 (shōgo) | noon | |
| 〜時〜分前 (mae) | to / before | 三時五分前 = five to three |
| 〜過ぎ (sugi) | past | 三時五分過ぎ = five past three |
Quick quiz
1 / 4For teachers and parents
- • Use in MFL lessons (KS3, Japanese I): pupils set a time on the clock, say it aloud, then check the written phrase.
- • Key points: the readings of 4, 7 and 9 o'clock, and the pun/fun pattern for minutes.
- • Prior learning: telling time to five minutes in English, and basic number kanji.
- • Check with a speaker: spoken forms vary by region. Please confirm usage with a native speaker for assessed work.
Questions
How do you ask what time it is in Japanese?
Say '今何時ですか' (Ima nan-ji desu ka?).
How do you say half past in Japanese?
Say the hour then 半 (han). For example 三時半 (san-ji han) is 3:30.
Is telling time easy in Japanese?
It is very regular: number + 時 for hours and number + 分 for minutes. The only tricky parts are the readings of 4, 7 and 9 o'clock and when 分 is read "pun".