VocabularyJLPT N5Beginners
Telling Time in Japanese
25 June 2026 · Mozhippattru Japanese Language School
Telling time combines numbers with two words: 時 (ji, o''clock) and 分 (fun/pun, minutes).
Hours
Number + 時: 1時 (ichi-ji), 3時 (san-ji), 9時 (ku-ji). Note 4時 is yo-ji and 7時 is shichi-ji.
Minutes
Number + 分, with sound changes: 1分 (ippun), 3分 (sanpun), 4分 (yonpun), 6分 (roppun), 10分 (juppun). So 3:15 is 三時十五分 (san-ji jū-go-fun).
Useful time words
- 午前 (gozen) — a.m. · 午後 (gogo) — p.m.
- 半 (han) — half past (2時半 = 2:30)
- 今 (ima) — now · 何時 (nanji) — what time?
Example
今何時ですか。 (What time is it now?) → 午後3時半です。 (It''s 3:30 p.m.)
Practise reading clocks aloud in Japanese and time expressions quickly stick.
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