Slug: japanese-time-expressions
Meta title (≤60): Japanese Time Expressions: Minutes, Hours & Seconds
Meta description (≤155): Master Japanese time expressions! Learn hours (時), minutes (分), seconds (秒), plus essential phrases like 何時ですか? Complete beginner guide with examples.
H2 Quick Start: Say the Time in 60 Seconds
- Pattern: [Hour]時 [Minute]分 ([Second]秒)
- Example: 3:15 PM = 午後３時１５分 (maybe add a visual clock icon or simple diagram)
- 半 = half past (e.g., 2:30 → ２時半)
- AM/PM: 午前 / 午後 (or use 24-hour time)
- Questions: 何時(なんじ)？ 何分(なんぷん)？ 何秒(なんびょう)？ 何時に…？
- Approx vs exact: ごろ／くらい ≈ “around”, ちょうど = “exactly”
- (One audio example of the full pattern being spoken)
H2 Numbers You Need for Time (Refresher)
(Link to basic numbers guide)
H3 Hours 1–12 (with irregulars)
- 1–12 quick list; call out 4時=よじ, 7時=しちじ, 9時=くじ
- Memory aids box: “4, 7, 9 are the weird hours” (よじ, しちじ, くじ)
H3 Minutes & Seconds: Patterns that matter
- Minutes “p” vs “f” rule-of-thumb: 1,3,4,6,8,10 → …ぷん／…っぷん (いっぷん, さんぷん, よんぷん, ろっぷん, はっぷん, じゅっぷん) 2,5,7,9 → …ふん (にふん, ごふん, ななふん, きゅうふん)
- Seconds: regular …秒(びょう); question word 何秒(なんびょう)
Tip card: Minutes are the only “tricky” part—memorize 10, then build 11–59 by stacking (例: 21分=にじゅういっぷん).
H2 Hours — 時 (ji)
- Pattern: [number] + 時
- Table: 1–12 with kana/romaji + audio (tiny 2-column TablePress works great)
- 午前/午後 and 24-hour conversions (例: 13:00 → 午後1時)
- Transportation times – Brief mention that train schedules use 24-hour format
H2 Minutes — 分 (fun/pun)
- Pattern: [number] + 分; show 1–10 once; then 15/30/45/59 examples
- 半 usage (write 時半, usually no 分)
H2 Seconds — 秒 (byō)
- Pattern, 1–10 examples, when it’s used (timers, sports, cooking)
H2 Put It Together (Full Clock Times)
- [Hour]時[Minute]分, [Hour]時半, [Minute]前 / [Minute]過ぎ (optional but useful)
- 12-hour vs 24-hour examples side-by-side
- Approximate time ranges – “2-3時ごろ” (around 2-3 o’clock)
H2 Common Time Expressions
- 朝 (morning), 昼 (noon/afternoon), 夜 (evening/night)
- いま (now), あとで (later), さっき (a moment ago)
- Common abbreviations: How times appear in texts/signs (sometimes just numbers)
H2 Asking & Answering Time
- 何時ですか？／[Time]です。
- 何時に〜ますか？ (point in time → に)
- 何分ですか？ 何秒ですか？
- Approx: ごろ／くらい; Exact: ちょうど
- (Interlink to Days of the Week for “何曜日(なんようび)？” and to Dates guide for “何日(なんにち)？”)
H2 Duration vs Clock Time (Counter Confusions)
- 時(じ) = clock hour; 時間(じかん) = duration (“for X hours”)
- 分 serves both (“5分” time or “for 5 minutes”); 半 can be duration (半じかん)
- Examples contrasting ３時 vs ３時間
- (Link to counters guide)
H2 Practice Section (Beginner Drills)
- Recognition: read 5 screenshots/digital times → say in Japanese
- Listening: 5 audio clips (you already have a minimal play button pattern)
- Speaking: prompts with に／ごろ／半 (answer key collapsed)
- Daily situations practice: “When does the train arrive?” type scenarios
- Common mistakes with audio corrections
H2 Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saying よんじ (✗) instead of よじ (✓)
- Using に incorrectly (points in time vs broad time words like 今日—に usually dropped)
- Mixing duration vs clock time
- 30分 vs 半 in natural speech
- Cultural note: Brief mention that Japanese people often use gestures (holding up fingers) when saying times
H2 FAQ / 24-Hour & Culture Notes (Condensed)
- “Do people use 24-hour time?” (yes, timetables/official; speech varies)
- “How to say ‘on the dot’?” (ちょうど)
- “Is ‘quarter past’ a thing?” (use 15分/45分, not a special word)
- “What if I mess up the pronunciation?” (natives will usually understand from context)
- “Do I need to memorize all minute variations?” (focus on 1-10, then build up)
H2 Next Steps (Internal Links)
- Days of the Week (何曜日)
- Months + Dates (何日・何月)
- Full Date & Time Guide (scheduling: から／まで／までに)
- 20 Everyday Phrases (polite ways to ask the time)