Basics
Telling the time in Japanese, plus days and dates
How to say the time, the days of the week and dates in Japanese, including the irregular readings everyone has to learn.
Once you know Japanese numbers, telling the time is mostly a matter of adding the right word: 時 (ji) for hours and 分 (fun / pun) for minutes. Dates take a little more work, because some of them are irregular, but the patterns are worth learning: they come up constantly, and they're a favourite on the JLPT N5.
Hours: 〜時 (ji)
Add じ to the number:
Watch out for the three irregular hours: よじ (not よんじ), しちじ (not ななじ) and くじ (not きゅうじ).
Half past is はん (半): さんじはん is "half past three". For a.m. and p.m., put ごぜん (morning) or ごご (afternoon) in front: ごご さんじ, 3 p.m.
Minutes: 〜分 (fun / pun)
Minutes are the trickiest part, because 分 changes its sound:
In practice you'll use 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 45 most: ごふん, じゅっぷん, じゅうごふん, にじゅっぷん, さんじゅっぷん, よんじゅうごふん.
Use に after a time when something happens at that time.
Days of the week
Each day is named after the moon, the sun or one of five elements, followed by ようび (曜日, day of the week):
| Japanese | Romaji | Day | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | Monday | moon |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | Tuesday | fire |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | Wednesday | water |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | Thursday | wood |
| 金曜日 | kin'yōbi | Friday | gold, metal |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | Saturday | earth |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | Sunday | sun |
Months: easy
Months are simply number + がつ (月): いちがつ (January), にがつ (February)… The only ones to watch are しがつ (April), しちがつ (July) and くがつ (September).
Dates: the irregular ones
Days of the month use にち (日) from the 11th onwards, but the 1st to the 10th, plus a few others, have their own native readings:
Everything else is regular: じゅういちにち (11th), にじゅうごにち (25th). Just remember that, as with the months, 7 and 9 use しち and く: じゅうしちにち (17th), じゅうくにち (19th), and the same for the 27th and 29th.
Japanese writes dates from biggest to smallest: year, month, day. 2026年12月6日 (nisen nijūroku-nen jūni-gatsu muika) is 6 December 2026.
Hitokuchi's time and dates lessons teach every irregular reading with audio and quick-fire practice.
Keep reading
BasicsHow to count in Japanese: numbers and counters made simpleLearn Japanese numbers from 1 to 10,000, why some numbers have two readings, and the handful of counters you need for things, people and drinks.
BasicsJapanese greetings for every time of dayHow to say hello, good morning, goodnight and goodbye in Japanese, when to use each one, and the everyday set phrases Japanese people say at home and work.
JLPTA 3-month JLPT N5 study plan (20–30 minutes a day)A realistic week-by-week plan to get from zero to JLPT N5 level in about three months, with what to study each week and how to review.