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Telling Time in Japanese

From a JLPT N1 certified teacher. Time expressions are tested in every section of the JLPT and used in every real conversation about plans. This guide covers hours, minutes, days, and the scheduling phrases that bring them together.

Why Time Expressions Are Essential

Time is one of the first topics tested on JLPT N5 and one of the most practical skills for daily life in Japan. Train schedules, restaurant reservations, meeting times, store hours — you need time vocabulary from day one.

The good news is that Japanese time-telling follows a consistent pattern: number + 時 (ji) for hours, number + 分 (fun/pun) for minutes. The challenge lies in the sound changes for specific numbers and the irregular readings for certain minutes.

Beyond basic clock time, this guide covers scheduling expressions that Japanese speakers use constantly: から (from), まで (until), ごろ (approximately), 前 (before), 後 (after), and 半 (half past). These small words transform numbers into natural conversation.

1-12時

Hours

Irregular mins

Days of week

JLPT level

Hours: 〜時 (ji)

Hours use number + 時 (ji). Most are straightforward: 1時 (いちじ), 2時 (にじ), 3時 (さんじ), 5時 (ごじ), 6時 (ろくじ), 8時 (はちじ), 10時 (じゅうじ), 11時 (じゅういちじ), 12時 (じゅうにじ). Japanese uses a 12-hour clock in conversation with 午前 (gozen — AM) and 午後 (gogo — PM) placed before the time.

The irregular hours require attention: 4時 = よじ (not よんじ or しじ), 7時 = しちじ (not ななじ), 9時 = くじ (not きゅうじ). These three exceptions are tested on every JLPT N5 exam. The readings feel counterintuitive because they use the older number forms (し, しち, く) that are avoided elsewhere.

For 24-hour time (used in schedules, TV guides, and military/business contexts), simply continue: 13時, 14時, up to 24時. Train schedules in Japan often use 24-hour notation, so 15:30 is じゅうごじさんじゅっぷん. Midnight can be expressed as 0時 (れいじ) or 24時.

Study Tips

•Drill the three irregular hours every day: 4時 = よじ, 7時 = しちじ, 9時 = くじ. These are guaranteed JLPT questions.
•午前/午後 come BEFORE the time: 午前9時 (gozen kuji), not 9時午前. This is the opposite of English AM/PM placement.
しちじ (7:00) and いちじ (1:00) sound similar in fast speech. Context usually clarifies, but on JLPT listening, pay careful attention.
•Practice saying your daily schedule in Japanese: 7時に起きます, 8時に出かけます, 12時にお昼を食べます.

Minutes: 〜分 (fun / pun)

Minutes use number + 分, but the reading alternates between ふん (fun) and ぷん (pun) depending on the preceding number. This is the trickiest part of Japanese time-telling and requires memorization.

The pattern: 1分 (いっぷん), 2分 (にふん), 3分 (さんぷん), 4分 (よんぷん), 5分 (ごふん), 6分 (ろっぷん), 7分 (ななふん), 8分 (はっぷん/はちふん), 9分 (きゅうふん), 10分 (じゅっぷん). The general rule: after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, use ぷん; after 2, 5, 7, 9, use ふん.

半 (はん — half) is used for :30. 3時半 (さんじはん) = 3:30. This is much more common in spoken Japanese than さんじさんじゅっぷん. For approximate times, ごろ (goro) is attached: 3時ごろ = around 3 o'clock. Both are essential N5 vocabulary.

Study Tips

•The ふん/ぷん pattern matches the counter word 本 pattern (ぽん/ほん/ぼん). If you know one, the other follows similar logic.
•Use 半 (han) for :30 in conversation — it sounds more natural than saying the full minute count.
30分 as standalone is さんじゅっぷん, but when attached to an hour it is usually 半. Both are correct but 半 is standard in speech.
JLPT trap: 4分 = よんぷん (not しぷん). Minutes always use よん for 4, never し.

Days of the Week & Time Periods

The seven days of the week each contain a kanji representing a celestial body or element: 月曜日 (げつようび — Monday/Moon), 火曜日 (かようび — Tuesday/Fire), 水曜日 (すいようび — Wednesday/Water), 木曜日 (もくようび — Thursday/Wood), 金曜日 (きんようび — Friday/Gold), 土曜日 (どようび — Saturday/Earth), 日曜日 (にちようび — Sunday/Sun).

Time period words connect days and times into schedules: 今日 (きょう — today), 明日 (あした — tomorrow), 昨日 (きのう — yesterday), 今週 (こんしゅう — this week), 来週 (らいしゅう — next week), 先週 (せんしゅう — last week), 毎日 (まいにち — every day), 毎週 (まいしゅう — every week).

Relative time expressions are critical for JLPT listening: 今朝 (けさ — this morning), 今晩 (こんばん — tonight), 午前中 (ごぜんちゅう — during the morning), 夕方 (ゆうがた — evening). These appear in scheduling conversations that are a staple of the listening section.

Study Tips

•Memorize days of the week by their element kanji: 月火水木金土日 (Moon Fire Water Wood Gold Earth Sun). This sequence is used everywhere in Japan.
•今日/明日/昨日 have irregular readings: きょう, あした, きのう. Do not try to read them from their kanji components.
明日 has three readings: あした (casual), あす (formal/news), みょうにち (very formal). JLPT N5 uses あした.
•Practice the pattern: 先〜 (last), 今〜 (this), 来〜 (next) — it works for 週, 月, 年: 先月/今月/来月, 去年/今年/来年.

Scheduling Expressions & Particles

Japanese uses specific particles with time words to create natural scheduling expressions. に (ni) marks specific times: 3時に会いましょう (let's meet at 3). から (kara) marks start times: 9時から (from 9). まで (made) marks end times: 5時まで (until 5). Combined: 9時から5時まで (from 9 to 5).

ごろ (goro) means 'approximately' and attaches directly to the time: 7時ごろ (around 7). くらい/ぐらい (kurai/gurai) means 'about' for duration: 2時間くらい (about 2 hours). The difference: ごろ is for points in time, くらい is for durations.

Duration uses 時間 (jikan) for hours and 分間 (funkan) for minutes: 3時間 = 3 hours (duration), not 3 o'clock. This distinction between 時 (clock time) and 時間 (duration) is a frequent JLPT question.

Study Tips

•に is used with specific times but NOT with relative times: 3時に (at 3) but 明日 (tomorrow, no に needed). 今日, 明日, 毎日 do not take に.
•Learn the pair: ごろ = point in time (7時ごろ — around 7), くらい = duration (3時間くらい — about 3 hours).
時 (ji) = o'clock (point), 時間 (jikan) = hours (duration). Mixing them up is a very common beginner mistake that changes the entire meaning.
•Practice asking: 何時ですか (What time is it?), 何時からですか (What time does it start?), 何時間かかりますか (How many hours does it take?).

Time in JLPT & Daily Life

JLPT N5 listening heavily features time-based questions. Common scenarios: scheduling a meeting (what time did they agree on?), a store's opening hours (when does it close?), travel plans (what time does the train leave?), and daily routine descriptions (what does the speaker do at what time?).

In real Japanese life, punctuality is deeply valued. Trains run on the minute, meetings start exactly on time, and being even 5 minutes late requires an apology. Understanding time expressions accurately is not just a language skill — it is a cultural necessity.

Japanese TV schedules, event posters, and official documents use 24-hour time. Casual conversation uses 12-hour time with context or 午前/午後. Being comfortable with both formats is important for life in Japan.

Study Tips

•For JLPT listening: write down every time you hear immediately. Conversations often mention multiple times, and the question asks about one specific event.
•Practice reading Japanese train timetables online — they are real-world number and time comprehension exercises.
'Half past' in Japanese conversation is always 半 (han), but on written schedules you will see :30 in numerals. Both mean the same thing.
•Common JLPT trap: speakers change plans mid-conversation. The first time mentioned is often not the final answer.

Teacher Notes by Language Background

For Vietnamese Speakers

Vietnamese time structure (so gio, so phut) is straightforward, and Japanese follows a similar number + unit pattern. The main challenge is the irregular readings (yoji, shichiji, kuji) and the fun/pun alternation for minutes. Vietnamese does not have these sound changes, so they require dedicated memorization. The concept of goro (approximately) maps well to Vietnamese khoang.

For Indonesian Speakers

Indonesian jam/menit structure is similar to Japanese ji/fun. The 24-hour format is less common in Indonesian daily life, so practice reading Japanese schedules in 24-hour time. Indonesian does not have the fun/pun sound change pattern, so drill these explicitly. The particle ni for specific times works similarly to Indonesian pada.

For Mongolian Speakers

Mongolian time expressions (tsag, minut) follow a similar number-plus-unit structure. The biggest challenge is the sound changes in minutes (fun/pun) which have no Mongolian equivalent. Mongolian speakers should also note that Japanese uses AM/PM before the time (gozen kuji), unlike the typical Mongolian order. Practice with daily routine descriptions to build natural fluency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are 4 o'clock, 7 o'clock, and 9 o'clock irregular?+

4時 (yoji), 7時 (shichiji), and 9時 (kuji) use older number readings. Yoji avoids the death association of shi, shichiji preserves the historical reading despite its similarity to ichiji, and kuji uses the traditional form of nine. These three are tested on virtually every JLPT N5 exam.

What is the difference between ji and jikan?+

時 (ji) marks a point on the clock: 3時 means 3 o'clock. 時間 (jikan) marks duration: 3時間 means 3 hours. Mixing them is a common mistake. Remember: ji answers 'what time?' and jikan answers 'how long?' This distinction appears in both JLPT questions and daily conversation.

When do I use goro vs kurai for approximate times?+

ごろ (goro) is for approximate points in time: 7時ごろ means around 7 o'clock. くらい/ぐらい (kurai/gurai) is for approximate durations: 2時間くらい means about 2 hours. They are not interchangeable. An easy test: if you can replace it with 'at about,' use goro. If you can replace it with 'for about,' use kurai.

How do I know when to use fun vs pun for minutes?+

Use ぷん after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Use ふん after 2, 5, 7, and 9. The pattern follows Japanese sound change rules (rendaku). A mnemonic: the 'strong' numbers (those ending in sounds that naturally pair with p) use pun. Practice by saying 1 through 10 minutes aloud until the pattern becomes automatic.

Does the particle ni always go with time words?+

No. に is used with specific clock times (3時に) and specific dates (月曜日に), but NOT with relative time words like 今日, 明日, 昨日, 毎日, 来週. The rule: if the time word could answer 'when exactly?' it takes に. If it means 'today/tomorrow/every day,' it does not. This is one of the most commonly tested particle rules on JLPT N5.

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