If you are studying Japanese, why don’t you start by telling me your daily schedule in Japanese. This is really good practice. Today, we will learn how to say “time” and “hour” in Japanese. They are completely different ways to say them in English, but time in Japanese and hours in Japanese are a bit similar, so it is easy to make mistakes. So let’s get started.
If you haven’t studies Japanese number 1 to 10, please check this article.
Table of contents
Time in Japanese
Number + 時(じ)
Time in Japanese is basically number plus 時(じ / ji).The ones to watch out for are 4, 7, and 9.The following is a list.
- 4時 よじ { 〇 yo ji ✕ yon ji｝
- 7時 しちじ { 〇 shichi ji ✕ nana ji}
- 9時 くじ { 〇 ku ji ✕ kyuu ji}
Minute in Japanese
Number + 分(ふん)
Minute can be read in two ways: 分( ふん/fun , ぷん/pun). Hm? This was done somewhere else. Yes, it is similar to how you count coffee, cups, etc.
- 4分 よんぷん { 〇 yon pun ✕ yon fun｝
Pronounce it loud and clear once. It is important to pronounce it yourself and let your ears learn it.
Now, let’s play a simple game.
Time in Japanese handy PDF
The order of when to say time in Japanese
When we say time, there are various expressions associated with it.
For example, morning or afternoon..etc.
今(いま) 、午前(ごぜん) 9 時 です。
It is now 9:00 a.m.
- 午前(ごぜん / gozen ) ：a.m.
- 午後(ごご / gogo) : p.m.
Place ”午前(ごぜん / gozen )” and ”午後(ごご / gogo) ” before time.
7時(じ) ごろ、つきます。
We will arrive around 7:00.
- ごろ(goro) ：around
Place ”ごろ(goro) ” after time.
Hours vs Time in Japanese
You can use 時 (じ / ji ) to express ”o’clock”, but if you want to talk a period of time, please use Number + “時間( じかん / jikan ) “.
2時間(じかん) あるきました。
I walked for two hours.
8時(じ) から 10時(じ) まで あるきました。
I walked from 8:00 to 10:00.
However, You can use the same counter for minutes.
うち から 駅(えき) まで 15分(ふん) です。
It takes 15 minutes from my house to the station.
Useful vocabulary book for studying numbers
1000 Essential Vocabulary for the JLPT N5
1000 Essential Vocabulary for the JLPT is convenient to carry around. You can use the red sheets to memorize the information during your commute to work, etc. You can also download audio from the official webiste, so you can learn with your eyes and ears. The audio is also divided by field, then, you will learn by association.
Learn more about numbers
Lastly, check other articles about numbers! You can master the number!
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