The right way to Inform Time in Japanese: An Straightforward Information

Japan is legendary for being punctual, so realizing tips on how to inform the time in Japanese is extraordinarily necessary!

Fortunately, if you already know your numbers, it’s fairly easy!

I’ve spent years studying and educating Japanese, each in and outdoors of Japan. So I’ll inform you an important stuff you’ll have to know, whether or not you’re an absolute newbie or making an attempt to take your Japanese to the subsequent degree.

When beginning with Japanese time, there are a number of important phrases you’ll have to turn out to be aware of. Right here’s a fast rundown of an important phrases launched on this article:

Japanese Time Phrases

Now, as I stated, in fact an article like that is going to utilize quite a lot of numbers! It’ll be a good suggestion to learn our article about Japanese numbers both earlier than or whilst you’re going via this text.

Prepared now? Let’s go.

Counting Hours in Japanese

How do you inform the time in Japanese? Effectively, simply as in English, we have to begin with the hours!

To inform time in Japanese, the suffix 時 (ji) that means “hour” or “o’clock” is added to the numerical hour.

Under is a desk that can assist you study the right pronunciations for every fundamental hour:

Hours in Japanese

Straightforward, proper? Notice that typically the numbers will probably be written in kanji, however typically they’ll be written in the identical numbers English makes use of.

Discover the occasions for 4:00, 7:00, and 9:00. Keep in mind there are a number of methods to say 4, 7, and 9, however these pronunciations are fixed! They won’t change. So you’ll not say one thing like yonji or shiji for 4:00. It’s all the time yoji.

Notice I’ve included “What hour” on this desk, which could appear bizarre. However don’t be thrown off! I’ll clarify this in additional element in a later part, since we’ll use it to ask what time it’s.

Additionally, these occasions can be utilized for each AM and PM. If you wish to make clear whether or not you imply the time within the morning of afternoon/night, you should utilize the next core phrases:

Japanese Time Phrases

Remember that these phrases will go in entrance of the time expression. So for instance, “9:00 AM” is 午前９時 (gozen kuji), and “7:00 PM” is 午後７時 (gogo shichiji).

The 24-Hour Clock in Japanese

Now, if you happen to’re shifting to Japan or able to study some barely extra superior methods to inform time, you’ll wish to know concerning the 24-hour clock.

Telling time in Japan can contain each the 12-hour clock (AM/PM system) talked about earlier and the 24-hour clock, which is also known as army time in another nations, just like the US.

Japan is thought for its punctual and environment friendly public transportation programs, which incorporates trains, buses, and subways. The timetables for these companies virtually invariably use the 24-hour clock format. This helps keep away from confusion, notably in the course of the early morning and late night hours.

The 24-hour clock can also be generally utilized in formal settings akin to workplaces, colleges, medical establishments, or on official paperwork like occasion schedules. Like within the above, this methodology reduces ambiguity and ensures readability in communication. For instance, a piece shift that begins at ‘09:00’ and ends at ‘17:00’ refers to a typical 9 AM to five PM workday.

Additionally, many digital clocks, smartphones, and computer systems in Japan show time utilizing the 24-hour format by default. So on Japanese smartphones, the default time show may learn “14:00” as an alternative of “2:00 PM.”

[IMG: advertisement.jpg]
You’ll discover this commercial makes use of quite a lot of the 24-hour time!

Now, if you happen to’re an American like me who has by no means been within the army, this may take some getting used to. It’d journey you up at first, nevertheless it’s a fairly simple system to determine.

To shortly convert PM occasions to the 24-hour format, merely add 12 to the PM time. For instance, 3 PM turns into 15:00 (3 + 12).

Now, keep in mind that midnight begins at “00:00” and that midday is “12:00.” With this in thoughts, occasions from “00:00” to “11:59” belong to the morning hours, whereas “12:00” to “23:59” cowl the afternoon and night intervals.

24-Hour Clock in Japanese

Minutes in Japanese

Now, Japanese time doesn’t cease with “o’clock”s! For a lot of occasions within the day, we’ll have to depend minutes as properly. That goes after the hour, the identical as in English.

Notice that for minutes, you usually add the quantity adopted by 分 (enjoyable or pun relying on the previous quantity). Right here’s a desk to help you:

Minutes in Japanese

Proper, so this is a little more complicated than 時 (ji) above for the reason that numbers change a bit extra, however don’t fear. You’ll get the cling of it very quickly.

Plus, as soon as you’ll be able to depend to 11 minutes, you’ll be able to depend to all of them! “22 minutes,” for instance, is ２２分 (nijuunifun).

Now right here’s a pattern sentence placing all this collectively:
“The prepare departs at 13:45 [1:45 PM].”
電車は１３時４５分に出発します。 (Densha wa juusanji yonjuugofun ni shuppatsu shimasu.)

You’ll discover one outlier on this desk: 半 (han). That is the particular phrase for half-hour previous the hour. So whereas it’s attainable to say ３０分 (sanjuppun) for half-hour, it’s much less widespread. So for instance, “3:30,” is mostly sanji han quite than sanji sanjuppun.

So we now have sentences like:
“College begins at 8:30.”
学校は八時半に始まります。 (Gakkou wa hachiji han ni hajimarimasu.)

Right here’s a little bit of a linguistic perception: As we coated, in Japanese, the phrase for minute is 分, which might be pronounced as both enjoyable or pun. Nonetheless, it’s not interchangeable, and there’s a particular rule that governs which pronunciation to make use of. This linguistic phenomenon is linked to a broader side of Japanese pronunciation referred to as 連濁 (rendaku).

Rendaku is the place the primary consonant of the second part of a compound phrase turns into voiced. This implies a sound like “t” may change to “d,” “okay” modifications to “g,” or as in our case, “f” modifications to “p.”

The precise causes behind rendaku are nonetheless debated amongst linguists, however the normal consensus is that it makes phrases simpler to say and helps preserve a rhythm in speech. Rendaku additionally provides a layer of cohesion to compound phrases, making them sound extra like a single unit quite than a sequence of separate components.

The right way to Ask the Time in Japanese

Okay, so now we all know tips on how to say the time in Japanese. However how about asking for it? Within the tables above, you had the vocabulary. Right here’s tips on how to use them in context.

The commonest and well mannered solution to ask for the time in Japanese is 何時ですか？ (Nanji desu ka?)

You’ll discover the phrase for “what” (何 nan) is simply added earlier than the hour, 時. So extra actually, this implies “What hour is it?” however extra broadly can be utilized to ask for the time on the whole.

To make this extra informal, simply take away the formal query ending ですか (desu ka) to make it 何時？ (Nanji?).

Fairly often, you’ll additionally hear this phrase beginning with 今 (ima), which suggests “now.” So that can give use 今何時ですか？ (Ima nanji desu ka?) and 今何時？ (Ima nanji?).

Now, if you already know the hour, however aren’t positive concerning the time, you should utilize 何分 nanpun for asking the minutes. So if you already know a present begins at 4:00-something however wish to make clear the minute, you’ll be able to ask ４時何分ですか？ (Yoji nanpun desu ka?) (Simply take off the desu ka to be extra informal.)

Seconds in Japanese

If you actually need to get particular with time in Japanese, it’s also possible to ask concerning the seconds! In Japanese, the phrase for “second” within the context of time is 秒 (byou).

To depend seconds, you merely precede 秒 (びょう, byou) with a quantity. Fortunately, seconds are as easy as hours 時 (ji)! Right here’s the way you depend from one second as much as sixty seconds:

Seconds in Japanese

Fairly easy, proper?

To wrap up this part, listed below are some pattern sentences utilizing seconds:

“Are you able to anticipate simply 10 seconds?”
１０秒だけ待ってもらえますか？ (Juubyou dake matte moraemasu ka?)

“This microwave heats up meals in 30 seconds.”
この電子レンジは食べ物を三十秒で温めます。(Kono denshirenji wa tabemono o sanjuubyou de atatamemasu.)

Saying Time Length in Japanese

When talking of time in Japanese, we’ve coated a quantity plus 時 (ji). However typically, you may run right into a quantity plus 時間 (jikan), which additionally means “hour.” Are they interchangeable? Truly, no! However don’t fear – their distinct makes use of are fairly simple to separate.

On the one hand, simply to shortly recap, 時 (ji) immediately interprets to “o’clock” or “hour” in English. It’s generally used to specify the hour of the day or to inform time:

• 何時ですか？ (Nanji desu ka?) – “What time is it?”
• 八時です。 (Hachiji desu.) – “It’s eight o’clock.”

時間 (jikan), alternatively, interprets to “time” as an idea or period. It’s used to point the size, period or a time period quite than a particular time. It will probably mirror the period of time one thing takes or the interval somebody spent doing one thing:

• 映画はどのくらいの時間がかかりますか？(Eiga wa dono kurai no jikan ga kakarimasu ka?) – “How lengthy will the film take?”
• 昨日、一時間ジョギングしました。 (Kinou, ichi jikan jogingu shimashita.) – “Yesterday, I jogged for an hour.”

So whereas each ji and jikan relate to ‘time,’ their purposes are distinctly totally different.

To solidify your understanding, right here’s a sensible comparability:

For those who’re telling a pal when to satisfy for lunch: 一時に会いましょう。 (Ichiji ni aimashou.) – “Let’s meet at one o’clock.”
For those who’re discussing how lengthy lunch will probably be: ランチは一時間です。 (Ranchi wa ichijikan desu.) – “Lunch will probably be for an hour.”

Extra Time Vocabulary in Japanese

For our intermediate and superior learners, there are in fact extra particular methods to speak concerning the time in Japanese! Right here’s an inventory of vocabulary to study to push up your degree:

Time Vocabulary in Japanese

Now listed below are some examples of tips on how to use these Japanese time phrases in context:

1. “Let’s have lunch at midday.”
   =正午にランチを食べましょう。 (Shougo ni ranchi wo tabemashou.)
2. “I’ll go for a drive late at evening.”
   深夜にドライブに行きます。 (Shin’ya ni doraibu ni ikimasu.)
3. “Please don’t name at midnight.”
   真夜中に電話をしないでください。 (Mayonaka ni denwa wo shinaide kudasai.)
4. “Let’s take a stroll within the night.”
   夕方に散歩しましょう。 (Yuugata ni sanpo shimashou.)
5. “I’m going to see the dawn tomorrow.”
   明日の日の出を見に行きます。 (Ashita no hinode wo mi ni ikimasu.)
6. “The ocean could be very stunning at sundown.”
   日没の時に海がとても綺麗です。 (Nichibotsu no toki ni umi ga totemo kirei desu.)
7. “I’m at the moment in a gathering.”
   現在、会議中です。 (Genzai, kaigichuu desu.)
8. “I plan to reach round eight o’clock.”
   八時頃に到着する予定です。 (Hachiji goro ni touchaku suru yotei desu.)
9. “I’ll name you in about thirty minutes.”
   約三十分後に電話します。 (Yaku sanjuppun go ni denwa shimasu.)
10. “I despatched the e-mail two hours in the past.”
    二時間前にメールを送りました。 (Nijikan mae ni meeru wo okurimashita.)
11. “I’ll return instantly after lunch.”
    昼食後すぐに戻ります。 (Chuushoku go sugu ni modorimasu.)
12. “Please reply as quickly as attainable.”
    できるだけ早く回答をお願いします。 (Dekiru dake hayaku kaitou wo onegaishimasu.)
13. “I apologize for the lengthy wait.”
    長い間お待たせして申し訳ありません。 (Nagai aida omatase shite mōshiwake arimasen.)
14. “Please come right here proper now.”
    今すぐここへ来てください。 (Ima sugu koko e kite kudasai.)

Saying Time in Japanese: You’ve Bought This!

Now that we’ve coated the necessities of telling time in Japanese, you’re now well-equipped to navigate your day by day schedule or plan your journeys round Japan with confidence!

For those who’re eager to construct on this and additional strengthen your Japanese language proficiency, take into account immersing your self in associated matters or training these new phrases in real-world eventualities.

Let’s maintain the arms of your language studying clock shifting ahead!

またね！ (Mata ne—See you once more!)

Kelsey Lechner

Translator, trainer, interpreter

Kelsey is a author, translator, and educator. She is an avid lover of dance, canine, and tea. LinkedIn | Contently

Speaks: English, Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese language, Swahili, Bengali

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