How to Say Time Expressions in Japanese: Telling the Hour, Day, and Month

Understanding how to express time in Japanese is essential for everyday conversations. Whether you’re scheduling a meeting, asking for the date, or telling time, these phrases will help you communicate smoothly.

Telling the Hour in Japanese

To specify AM and PM, you can use 午前 (ごぜん, gozen) for AM and 午後 (ごご, gogo) for PM before the hour. For example, 10 AM is 午前十時 (ごぜんじゅうじ, gozen juuji) and 8 PM is 午後八時 (ごごはちじ, gogo hachiji).

In Japanese, hours are expressed using the counter 時 (ji). Here are all the hours in Japanese:

1 o’clock – 一時 (いちじ, ichiji)
2 o’clock – 二時 (にじ, niji)
3 o’clock – 三時 (さんじ, sanji)
4 o’clock – 四時 (よじ, yoji)
5 o’clock – 五時 (ごじ, goji)
6 o’clock – 六時 (ろくじ, rokuji)
7 o’clock – 七時 (しちじ, shichiji)
8 o’clock – 八時 (はちじ, hachiji)
9 o’clock – 九時 (くじ, kuji)
10 o’clock – 十時 (じゅうじ, juuji)
11 o’clock – 十一時 (じゅういちじ, juuichiji)
12 o’clock – 十二時 (じゅうにじ, juuniji)

Minutes and Relative Time Expressions

Japanese uses specific counters for minutes. The general rule is that most minute markers end in ‘ぷん’ (pun) or ‘ふん’ (fun). However, some numbers follow an irregular pattern:

1 minute – 一分 (いっぷん, ippun)
2 minutes – 二分 (にふん, nifun)
3 minutes – 三分 (さんぷん, sanpun)
4 minutes – 四分 (よんぷん, yonpun)
5 minutes – 五分 (ごふん, gofun)
6 minutes – 六分 (ろっぷん, roppun)
7 minutes – 七分 (ななふん, nanafun)
8 minutes – 八分 (はっぷん, happun)
9 minutes – 九分 (きゅうふん, kyuufun)
10 minutes – 十分 (じゅっぷん, juppun)

Here are a few examples:

10 past the hour – 〇時十分 (じゅっぷん, juppun)
Half past the hour – 〇時半 (はん, han)
8 minutes before 5 o’clock – 四時五十二分 (よじごじゅうにふん, yoji gojuunifun)

Days of the Week in Japanese

Days of the week in Japanese end with 曜日 (ようび, youbi). Here’s how they are expressed:

Monday – 月曜日 (げつようび, getsuyoubi)
Tuesday – 火曜日 (かようび, kayoubi)
Wednesday – 水曜日 (すいようび, suiyoubi)
Thursday – 木曜日 (もくようび, mokuyoubi)
Friday – 金曜日 (きんようび, kinyoubi)
Saturday – 土曜日 (どようび, doyoubi)
Sunday – 日曜日 (にちようび, nichiyoubi)

Months in Japanese

Months in Japanese are simply the number followed by 月 (がつ, gatsu). Here’s a list:

January – 一月 (いちがつ, ichigatsu)
February – 二月 (にがつ, nigatsu)
March – 三月 (さんがつ, sangatsu)
April – 四月 (しがつ, shigatsu)
May – 五月 (ごがつ, gogatsu)
June – 六月 (ろくがつ, rokugatsu)
July – 七月 (しちがつ, shichigatsu)
August – 八月 (はちがつ, hachigatsu)
September – 九月 (くがつ, kugatsu)
October – 十月 (じゅうがつ, juugatsu)
November – 十一月 (じゅういちがつ, juuichigatsu)
December – 十二月 (じゅうにがつ, juunigatsu)

FAQ: Common Questions About Japanese Time Expressions

How do you say “What time is it?” in Japanese?

You can ask “What time is it?” by saying 今何時ですか？ (いまなんじですか？, Ima nanji desu ka?).

How do you ask for the date in Japanese?

You can ask “What is the date today?” by saying 今日は何日ですか？ (きょうはなんにちですか？, Kyou wa nan-nichi desu ka?).

How can I practice Japanese time expressions?

Practice by checking the time in Japanese daily, writing dates in Japanese, and using time expressions in conversations.

Mastering Japanese time expressions will greatly improve your communication skills. Keep practicing, and soon, talking about time in Japanese will become second nature!