How to Tell Time in Japanese: Hours, Minutes, and More
Telling time in Japanese is one of those topics that looks straightforward on the surface but has a few curveballs hiding underneath. The basic structure is simple: number + 時 (ji) for hours, number + 分 (fun/pun) for minutes. But some numbers have irregular readings that trip up beginners. This guide walks you through everything you need to tell time like a pro.
How Japanese Time Works
Hour: number + 時 (じ / ji)
Minutes: number + 分 (ふん or ぷん / fun or pun)
So 3:15 would be 三時十五分 (さんじ じゅうごふん / sanji juugofun). Japan uses both the 12-hour and 24-hour clock. In everyday conversation, people typically use the 12-hour clock with 午前 (gozen, AM) and 午後 (gogo, PM) placed before the time. So "3 PM" is 午後三時 (gogo sanji), not 三時午後.
The 24-hour clock is common in train schedules, TV listings, and official contexts. You might see 15時 (juugoji) for 3 PM on a train schedule.
Hours: 1 Through 12
Pay close attention to the highlighted irregular readings. 4時, 7時, and 9時 do not follow the expected pattern.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一時 | いちじ | ichiji | 1 o'clock |
| 二時 | にじ | niji | 2 o'clock |
| 三時 | さんじ | sanji | 3 o'clock |
| 四時 | よじ | yoji | 4 o'clock (irregular: よじ not しじ) |
| 五時 | ごじ | goji | 5 o'clock |
| 六時 | ろくじ | rokuji | 6 o'clock |
| 七時 | しちじ | shichiji | 7 o'clock (irregular: しちじ not ななじ) |
| 八時 | はちじ | hachiji | 8 o'clock |
| 九時 | くじ | kuji | 9 o'clock (irregular: くじ not きゅうじ) |
| 十時 | じゅうじ | juuji | 10 o'clock |
| 十一時 | じゅういちじ | juuichiji | 11 o'clock |
| 十二時 | じゅうにじ | juuniji | 12 o'clock |
Minutes: The Tricky Part
Minutes use 分, but the reading alternates between ふん (fun) and ぷん (pun) depending on the number. Here are the minutes from 1 to 10, which cover all the patterns you need.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一分 | いっぷん | ippun | 1 minute |
| 二分 | にふん | nifun | 2 minutes |
| 三分 | さんぷん | sanpun | 3 minutes |
| 四分 | よんぷん | yonpun | 4 minutes |
| 五分 | ごふん | gofun | 5 minutes |
| 六分 | ろっぷん | roppun | 6 minutes |
| 七分 | ななふん | nanafun | 7 minutes |
| 八分 | はっぷん | happun | 8 minutes |
| 九分 | きゅうふん | kyuufun | 9 minutes |
| 十分 | じゅっぷん | juppun | 10 minutes |
| 十五分 | じゅうごふん | juugofun | 15 minutes / quarter past |
| 三十分 | さんじゅっぷん | sanjuppun | 30 minutes / half past |
| 四十五分 | よんじゅうごふん | yonjuugofun | 45 minutes / quarter to |
AM, PM, and Time of Day
These words help you specify when during the day you are talking about.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 午前 | ごぜん | gozen | AM, morning |
| 午後 | ごご | gogo | PM, afternoon |
| 朝 | あさ | asa | morning |
| 昼 | ひる | hiru | noon, daytime |
| 夕方 | ゆうがた | yuugata | evening (around sunset) |
| 夜 | よる | yoru | night |
| 深夜 | しんや | shinya | late night, midnight hours |
| 正午 | しょうご | shōgo | noon, exactly 12:00 PM |
| 半 | はん | han | half past (e.g., 三時半 = 3:30) |
The 半 Shortcut
There is no equivalent shortcut for "quarter past" or "quarter to" in Japanese. You just say the minutes: 三時十五分 (3:15) or 三時四十五分 (3:45).
Asking and Telling Time
Here are the essential phrases you need for time-related conversations.
Useful Time-Related Words
Beyond telling the exact time, these words come up all the time in daily life.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今 | いま | ima | now |
| 時間 | じかん | jikan | time, hours (duration) |
| 秒 | びょう | byō | seconds |
| 前 | まえ | mae | before, ago |
| 後 | あと | ato | after, later |
| ちょうど | ちょうど | chōdo | exactly, right on time |
| ぐらい | ぐらい | gurai | about, approximately |
| 遅い | おそい | osoi | late, slow |
| 早い | はやい | hayai | early, fast |
Common Questions About Time in Japanese
Why is 4 o'clock よじ and not しじ?
The number 4 has two readings in Japanese: し (shi) and よん (yon). し sounds like 死 (death), so it is avoided in many contexts. For hours, the reading よ is used, making it よじ. Similarly, 9 uses く (ku) instead of きゅう (kyuu) for 九時, giving us くじ.
Does Japan use the 12-hour or 24-hour clock?
Both. In everyday conversation, the 12-hour clock is more common, with 午前 (gozen, AM) and 午後 (gogo, PM) added before the time for clarity. The 24-hour clock is standard for train schedules, official documents, and TV guides. You will often see times like 15時 or 22時 in those contexts.
How do I say 'half past' in Japanese?
Add 半 (han) after the hour. 三時半 (sanji han) is 3:30, 八時半 (hachiji han) is 8:30. This is much more common in daily speech than saying the full 三時三十分.
How do I ask what time something starts or ends?
Use 何時に (nanji ni) with the verb. 映画は何時に始まりますか？ (Eiga wa nanji ni hajimarimasu ka?) means 'What time does the movie start?' For ending, swap in 終わります (owarimasu): 何時に終わりますか？ (Nanji ni owarimasu ka?)
Related Topics
Learn 50 practical Japanese phrases for greetings, shopping, dining, travel, and daily conversation. Start speaking real Japanese today.
Learn to count in Japanese from 1 to 10,000. Covers basic numbers, tens, hundreds, and the Japanese counter system with mai, hon, hiki, nin, and more.
Learn the Japanese days of the week with kanji, readings, and romaji. Discover the elemental origins (sun, moon, fire, water, wood, metal, earth) and useful scheduling phrases.
Learn Japanese numbers from 1 to 10,000 and beyond. Covers counting, big numbers, counters, and practical tips for prices and phone numbers.
Learn all 12 months in Japanese with kanji, readings, and traditional month names. Includes seasonal vocabulary and cultural context.