How to Ask the Time in Japanese: なんじですか for Beginners

Your phone is dead, you are waiting for a bus, and you need to know the time. One short question gets you the answer, and the same word for the hour carries you into routines and plans.

The short answer

Ask いま、なんじですか (ima, nanji desu ka) when you want to know the current time. If the context is already clear, なんじですか (nanji desu ka) is enough.

1. いま、なんじですかIma, nanji desu ka.What time is it now?
2. さんじですSanji desu.It is three o'clock.

The answer swaps なん for a number and keeps じです. That swap is the whole pattern.

Make an o'clock time

Put a number before じ (ji, o'clock). Use なんじ (nanji) instead of a number when you ask “what time?”

1. いちじですIchiji desu.It is one o'clock.
2. よじですYoji desu.It is four o'clock.
3. しちじですShichiji desu.It is seven o'clock.
4. くじですKuji desu.It is nine o'clock.

Four, seven and nine need attention: say よじ (yoji), しちじ (shichiji) and くじ (kuji), not yonji, nanaji or kyuuji.

Add minutes or half past

Put the minutes after the hour. The minute counter is read ふん (fun) or ぷん (pun), and its sound changes with some numbers.

1. しちじじゅっぷんですShichiji juppun desu.It is 7:10.
2. よじさんじゅっぷんですYoji sanjuppun desu.It is 4:30.

In both answers, the hour comes first and the minutes follow it.

For thirty minutes past the hour, you can also use はん (han, half).

This lesson introduces common minute forms, but learning each number together with ふん or ぷん is safer than guessing the pronunciation.

Ask what time something happens

Use なんじに (nanji ni) before an activity to ask at what time it happens. Use a specific time plus に to answer.

Practise with familiar daily actions such as おきる (okiru, wake up), ねる (neru, sleep or go to bed) and べんきょう (benkyou, study).

1. なんじにおきますかNanji ni okimasu ka.What time do you wake up?
2. しちじにおきますShichiji ni okimasu.I wake up at seven.
3. なんじにねますかNanji ni nemasu ka.What time do you go to bed?
4. じゅういちじにねますJuuichiji ni nemasu.I go to bed at eleven.

Each answer copies the question and replaces なんじ with a real time. The last line uses the same shape to describe your own routine:

Ask about a schedule or start time

When you are checking a timetable, なんじですか asks for the clock time. To ask when an activity starts, put はなんじからですか after the activity. から means “from” or “starting at.”

1. バスはなんじですかBasu wa nanji desu ka.What time is the bus?
2. じゅぎょうはなんじからですかJugyou wa nanji kara desu ka.What time does the class start?
3. しごとはなんじからですかShigoto wa nanji kara desu ka.What time does work start?

The same question works for a class, a bus, work, or another event. The activity gives the question its context; なんじ asks for the hour, and から asks for the starting point.

Make plans with なんじに

Use the same pattern with あう (au, meet).

1. あした、なんじにあいますかAshita, nanji ni aimasu ka.What time will we meet tomorrow?
2. ごじにあいましょうGoji ni aimashou.Let's meet at five.

The ending ～ましょう is taught in the lesson on making shared suggestions.

なんじ and いつ

いつ (itsu) asks “when?” broadly. なんじ (nanji) asks for a clock time.

Compare the two questions. The first wants a clock time; the second is happy with any answer about when, such as a day:

1. なんじですかNanji desu ka.What time is it?
2. いつですかItsu desu ka.When is it?
3. あしたですAshita desu.It is tomorrow.

じ and じかん

じ (ji) gives a point on the clock. じかん (jikan) gives a duration in hours.

1. さんじですSanji desu.It is three o'clock.
2. さんじかんですSanjikan desu.It is three hours.

One extra syllable turns a point on the clock into a length of time.

You may also see these written with kanji: なんじ as 何時, じ as 時, and じかん as 時間. You do not need to memorise those spellings before using the phrases.

Common beginner mistakes

• Using なんですか when you need a clock time. Ask なんじですか.
• Saying よんじ or きゅうじ. Four o'clock is よじ; nine o'clock is くじ.
• Confusing a clock time with a duration. さんじ is three o'clock; さんじかん is three hours.
• Dropping に in a simple exact-time routine sentence. Say しちじにおきます.

Practise asking the time

Say it aloud

Say the question, answer and routine sentence aloud.

1. いま、なんじですかIma, nanji desu ka.What time is it now?
2. しちじはんですShichiji han desu.It is 7:30.
3. はちじにべんきょうしますHachiji ni benkyou shimasu.I study at eight.

A short role-play

Two friends are fixing a time to meet. One suggests a time, and the other accepts it:

1. あした、なんじにあいますかAshita, nanji ni aimasu ka.What time will we meet tomorrow?
2. ごじはどうですかGoji wa dou desu ka.How about five?
3. はい、ごじにあいましょうHai, goji ni aimashou.Yes, let's meet at five.

Quick quiz

1. How do you ask “What time is it now?”
2. How do you say “It is three o'clock”?
3. What does しちじはん mean?
4. How do you ask “What time do you wake up?”
5. What is the difference between さんじ and さんじかん?

Answers

1. いま、なんじですか (ima, nanji desu ka).
2. さんじです (sanji desu).
3. 7:30 or half past seven.
4. なんじにおきますか (nanji ni okimasu ka).
5. さんじ is three o'clock; さんじかん is three hours.

Keep this in mind

Ask いま、なんじですか for the current time, and answer with a number plus じ. Add minutes after the hour, or はん for half past. Put なんじに before an activity to ask when it happens, use なんじ for a clock time and いつ for “when” in general, and remember that じ is a point on the clock while じかん is a length of time.

Continue learning

Build more number and routine words with the YapaneseAI vocabulary library. Continue through the beginner learning hub for more practical lessons.