japanese-time-dates-guide

# Japanese Time and Dates Guide: Years, Months, Days, Weekdays, Hours, Minutes, に, ごろ, and ぐらい **Target level**: JLPT N5–N4 / Beginner to Low-Intermediate **Topic**: A comprehensive hub guide to expressing time and dates in Japanese — date order, months, day readings, weekdays, hours, minutes, duration, relative time words, particles (に/から/まで/までに/ごろ/ぐらい), and practical scheduling phrases for travel and daily life. —

You have a restaurant reservation in Tokyo. The staff asks: 「何時にご予約ですか？」 (なんじにごよやくですか？) — “What time is your reservation?” You know the time, you know the word for “reservation,” but your brain freezes on how to say the date. Is it month first? Day first? And wait — is it しがつ or よんがつ for April?

This happens to almost every English-speaking Japanese learner, because dates and times work completely differently in Japanese — different order, different number readings, and special particles you have to know. This guide covers everything you need: date order, months, day readings, weekdays, hours, minutes, duration, relative time words, particles, and practical phrases you can use right away for travel, appointments, and daily conversation.

By the end, you’ll be able to say a full date, ask what time something happens, describe how long something takes, and make reservations in Japanese without freezing up.

— ## At a Glance: Months, Days, and Key Readings

Bookmark these two tables. They cover the most important readings you need to know before diving into the detail sections below.

Months of the Year

Month	Japanese	Reading	Romaji
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

⚠ = has a special reading that surprises English speakers. Details in the Months section below.

Special Readings for Days of the Month

Most days after the 10th follow a regular pattern, but the 1st through 10th, plus 14th, 20th, and 24th, use irregular readings you must memorise.

Day	Japanese	Reading	Romaji
1st	一日	ついたち	tsuitachi
2nd	二日	ふつか	futsuka
3rd	三日	みっか	mikka
4th	四日	よっか	yokka
5th	五日	いつか	itsuka
6th	六日	むいか	muika
7th	七日	なのか	nanoka
8th	八日	ようか	youka
9th	九日	ここのか	kokonoka
10th	十日	とおか	tooka
11th–13th	十一日, etc.	じゅういちにち, etc.	juuichinichi, etc.
14th	十四日	じゅうよっか ⚠	juuyokka
15th–19th	十五日, etc.	じゅうごにち, etc.	juugonichi, etc.
20th	二十日	はつか ⚠	hatsuka
21st–23rd	二十一日, etc.	にじゅういちにち, etc.	nijuuichinichi, etc.
24th	二十四日	にじゅうよっか ⚠	nijuuyokka
25th–31st	二十五日, etc.	にじゅうごにち, etc.	nijuugonichi, etc.

— ## How Japanese Dates Work: Year → Month → Day ### The order English speakers get backwards

In English you typically write dates as Month/Day/Year (American) or Day/Month/Year (British). Japanese goes in the opposite direction: Year → Month → Day. Think of it as going from the biggest unit to the smallest, like zooming in on a calendar.

Language	Order	Example
American English	Month / Day / Year	April 3, 2026
British English	Day / Month / Year	3 April 2026
Japanese	Year 年 Month 月 Day 日	2026年4月3日

The three kanji you need are:

• 年（ねん） — nen — year
• 月（がつ / つき） — gatsu / tsuki — month
• 日（にち / か / び） — nichi / ka / bi — day

### Writing and saying a full date

Let’s build a date step by step. Take April 3, 2026:

Component	Japanese	Reading
Year	2026年	にせんにじゅうろくねん (nisen-nijuuroku-nen)
Month	4月	しがつ (shigatsu)
Day	3日	みっか (mikka)
Full date	2026年4月3日	にせんにじゅうろくねん しがつ みっか

In conversation, Japanese speakers often drop the year when it’s obvious from context and just say the month and day: 「しがつ みっか」.

Example sentence:

会議は2026年4月3日です。
かいぎは にせんにじゅうろくねん しがつ みっかです。
The meeting is on April 3, 2026.

### Japanese Era years (令和) — a brief note

Japan also uses an imperial era calendar alongside the Western calendar. The current era is 令和（れいわ）, which began in May 2019. So 2026 is 令和8年（れいわはちねん）. You will see era years on official documents, government forms, and some train tickets. For everyday conversation, the Western year (西暦 / せいれき) is perfectly fine and widely used.

— ## Months in Japanese ### January through December

Japanese months are refreshingly logical: they are simply the numbers 1 through 12 followed by 月（がつ）. There are no names like “January” or “February” to memorise — just the numbers. However, some months use non-default number readings, which is where learners trip up.

### The April trap: しがつ, not よんがつ

The number 4 in Japanese has two readings: し (shi) and よん (yon). In months, April always uses し, making it 四月（しがつ）. Saying よんがつ is incorrect and will sound wrong to native speakers. Similarly, July (七月) uses しち (shichi), not なな (nana), so it’s しちがつ not ななかがつ.

### The September trap: くがつ, not きゅうがつ

The number 9 also has two readings: く (ku) and きゅう (kyuu). For September, you always use く: 九月（くがつ）. Saying きゅうがつ sounds unnatural and is an immediate marker of a beginner.

### Memory tips for all 12 months

The three months that use non-default readings are the ones to drill:

• April 四月 — し (think: she opens spring)
• July 七月 — しち (think: she-chi is midsummer)
• September 九月 — く (think: coo-l autumn begins)

All other months simply use the standard number reading + がつ. Once you know your numbers 1–12, you know January, February, March, May, June, August, October, November, and December automatically.

— ## Days of the Month: The Special Readings ### 1st to 10th: the irregular readings

The days 1st to 10th use old native Japanese number words rather than the Chinese-derived numbers used for most other counting. These must simply be memorised. Look back at the At a Glance table above — and notice the pattern: many of them end in か (ka), a remnant of an ancient counting system.

The most important one to know first is the 1st:

### 一日: ついたち

一日（ついたち） — tsuitachi — the 1st of the month. This is completely irregular and sounds nothing like “one day.” It historically means “the day the moon rises” (月立ち / つきたち). You will hear it constantly — every month has a 1st — so drill this one first.

Example: 七月一日はついたちです。 — Shichigatsu tsuitachi desu. — The first of July.

### 十四日, 二十日, 二十四日

Three irregular readings survive past the 10th:

• 十四日（じゅうよっか） — juuyokka — the 14th. Uses よっか, not じゅうよんにち.
• 二十日（はつか） — hatsuka — the 20th. Completely unique reading, unrelated to the number 20.
• 二十四日（にじゅうよっか） — nijuuyokka — the 24th. Uses よっか again.

### Regular date readings (11th onwards)

From the 11th onwards, most dates follow the pattern: [number] + にち (nichi). So the 11th is じゅういちにち, the 15th is じゅうごにち, the 25th is にじゅうごにち, and so on. The three exceptions (14th, 20th, 24th) are noted above.

### Special date reading traps

One more thing: do not confuse ふつか（二日） (the 2nd of the month) with にち（日） used as a general counter for “N days” in duration. We will cover duration counters in the Duration section below. The pronunciation difference matters: ふつか is always the calendar date “the 2nd,” while ふつかかん（二日間） means “a period of two days.”

— ## Days of the Week in Japanese ### 月曜日 through 日曜日

Japanese weekdays are built from kanji + 曜日（ようび） (youbi), which means “day of the week.” Each day uses a kanji representing a natural element or celestial body — a beautiful system that also makes them easy to remember.

Day	Japanese	Reading	Romaji	Kanji meaning
Monday	月曜日	げつようび	Getsuyoubi	Moon (月)
Tuesday	火曜日	かようび	Kayoubi	Fire (火)
Wednesday	水曜日	すいようび	Suiyoubi	Water (水)
Thursday	木曜日	もくようび	Mokuyoubi	Wood/Tree (木)
Friday	金曜日	きんようび	Kinyoubi	Gold/Metal (金)
Saturday	土曜日	どようび	Doyoubi	Earth/Soil (土)
Sunday	日曜日	にちようび	Nichiyoubi	Sun (日)

### Memory tips (kanji meanings: moon, fire, water, tree, gold, earth, sun)

The order Moon → Fire → Water → Tree → Gold → Earth → Sun maps onto the seven classical planets of East Asian cosmology. A useful mnemonic: “My Friendly Water-Tree Gives Earth Sun” (Moon, Fire, Water, Tree, Gold, Earth, Sun). Once you know the kanji meanings, the days become much easier to distinguish.

In informal speech, Japanese speakers often drop 曜日 and just say the kanji: 月（げつ） for Monday, 金（きん） for Friday, and so on. You will hear this in fast conversation.

### 何曜日 — asking what day it is

何曜日（なんようび） — nanyoubi — means “what day of the week?”

今日は何曜日ですか？
きょうはなんようびですか？
What day is today?

月曜日です。
げつようびです。
It’s Monday.

— ## Japanese Time: Hours and Minutes ### 〜時 for hours

Hours are expressed with the counter 時（じ） (ji), attached directly after the number:

Hour	Japanese	Reading
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)

Note: 4 o’clock is よじ (yoji), not しじ. 9 o’clock is くじ (kuji), not きゅうじ. These are the two irregular hours to memorise.

### 〜分 — regular and irregular readings

Minutes use the counter 分（ふん / ぷん）. Whether you say fun or pun depends on which number comes before it — this sound change happens when certain numbers combine with this counter. The pattern is not fully predictable, so it is easier to memorise the irregular readings in the table below.

### Irregular minute readings table

Minutes	Japanese	Reading	Note
1 minute	一分	いっぷん (ippun)	⚠ irregular
2 minutes	二分	にふん (nifun)	regular
3 minutes	三分	さんぷん (sanpun)	⚠ irregular
4 minutes	四分	よんぷん (yonpun)	⚠ irregular
5 minutes	五分	ごふん (gofun)	regular
6 minutes	六分	ろっぷん (roppun)	⚠ irregular
7 minutes	七分	ななふん (nanafun)	regular
8 minutes	八分	はっぷん (happun)	⚠ irregular
9 minutes	九分	きゅうふん (kyuufun)	regular
10 minutes	十分	じゅっぷん (juppun)	⚠ irregular
15 minutes	十五分	じゅうごふん (juugofun)	regular
30 minutes	三十分	さんじゅっぷん (sanjuppun)	irregular
45 minutes	四十五分	よんじゅうごふん (yonjuugofun)	regular

The pattern: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 use ぷん (pun). Everything else uses ふん (fun).

### 半 for half past

半（はん） — han — means “half.” Attach it after the hour to say “half past”:

• 三時半（さんじはん） — sanji han — 3:30
• 七時半（しちじはん） — shichiji han — 7:30

### 午前 and 午後

Japanese uses a 12-hour clock in daily conversation with:

• 午前（ごぜん） — gozen — AM (literally “before noon”)
• 午後（ごご） — gogo — PM (literally “after noon”)

Place 午前/午後 before the time:

午前十時 — gozen juuji — 10:00 AM
午後三時半 — gogo sanji han — 3:30 PM

Official timetables (trains, flights) use 24-hour clock, so you may see 13:00, 22:30, etc. on departure boards.

### 何時 / 何分 — asking what time

何時（なんじ） — nanji — “what time?” / “what hour?”
何分（なんぷん） — nanpun — “what minute?”

今、何時ですか？
いま、なんじですか？
What time is it now?

午後二時十五分です。
ごごにじじゅうごふんです。
It’s 2:15 PM.

— ## Duration in Japanese ### 〜時間 vs 〜時 (duration vs time point)

This is one of the most common points of confusion for beginners. The counter 時（じ） marks a specific point in time (3 o’clock), while 時間（じかん） marks a duration (3 hours).

Expression	Meaning	Type
三時（さんじ）	3 o’clock	Time point
三時間（さんじかん）	3 hours (duration)	Duration
十二時（じゅうにじ）	12 o’clock / noon	Time point
十二時間（じゅうにじかん）	12 hours (duration)	Duration

### 〜分間 / 〜週間 / 〜ヶ月 / 〜年

Here are the main duration counters:

Counter	Meaning	Example	Reading
〜時間（じかん）	hours (duration)	二時間	にじかん — 2 hours
〜分間（ふんかん）	minutes (duration)	三十分間	さんじゅっぷんかん — 30 minutes
〜週間（しゅうかん）	weeks	二週間	にしゅうかん — 2 weeks
〜ヶ月（かげつ）	months (duration)	三ヶ月	さんかげつ — 3 months
〜年（ねん）	years	五年	ごねん — 5 years

Note: 〜ヶ月（かげつ） is for duration (“for 3 months”), while 〜月（がつ） is for naming the month (“in March”). Do not mix them up.

### Common duration examples

• 日本語を二年間勉強しています。 — にほんごをにねんかんべんきょうしています。 — I have been studying Japanese for two years.
• 映画は二時間です。 — えいがはにじかんです。 — The movie is two hours long.
• 休みは一週間あります。 — やすみはいっしゅうかんあります。 — I have one week off.

— ## Relative Time Words ### Days: 今日 / 昨日 / 明日 / 明後日

These common words are used constantly in daily conversation. Pay attention to their readings — several are irregular:

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
今日	きょう	kyou	today
昨日	きのう	kinou	yesterday
明日	あした / あす	ashita / asu	tomorrow
明後日	あさって	asatte	the day after tomorrow
一昨日	おととい	ototoi	the day before yesterday

### Weeks: 今週 / 先週 / 来週

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
今週	こんしゅう	konshuu	this week
先週	せんしゅう	senshuu	last week
来週	らいしゅう	raishuu	next week

### Months and years: 今月 / 先月 / 来月 / 今年 / 去年 / 来年

Japanese	Reading	Romaji	Meaning
今月	こんげつ	kongetsu	this month
先月	せんげつ	sengetsu	last month
来月	らいげつ	raigetsu	next month
今年	ことし	kotoshi	this year
去年	きょねん	kyonen	last year
来年	らいねん	rainen	next year

### Quick reference table

Notice the pattern: 今（こん/こ） = this, 先（せん） = last/previous, 来（らい） = next/coming. The only exception is 今年, which reads ことし rather than こんねん.

来週の月曜日に会いましょう。
らいしゅうのげつようびにあいましょう。
Let’s meet next Monday.

— ## Particles with Time Expressions ### に with specific time points

The particle に（ni） is used to mark a specific point in time — the answer to “when exactly?” Think of it like “at,” “on,” or “in” in English for times and dates.

• 三時に会議があります。 — さんじにかいぎがあります。 — There is a meeting at 3 o’clock.
• 四月三日に出発します。 — しがつみっかにしゅっぱつします。 — I depart on April 3rd.
• 月曜日に来てください。 — げつようびにきてください。 — Please come on Monday.

### When NOT to use に

This is where many learners go wrong. Relative time words and vague time expressions do not take に. Using に with them is a very common beginner mistake.

Expression	に?	Correct example
今日（きょう）	❌ No に	今日、行きます。 — I’m going today.
昨日（きのう）	❌ No に	昨日、食べました。 — I ate yesterday.
明日（あした）	❌ No に	明日、会いましょう。 — Let’s meet tomorrow.
今週（こんしゅう）	❌ No に	今週、忙しいです。 — I’m busy this week.
来月（らいげつ）	❌ No に	来月、旅行します。 — I’ll travel next month.
今年（ことし）	❌ No に	今年、日本に行きます。 — I’m going to Japan this year.
毎日（まいにち）	❌ No に	毎日、勉強します。 — I study every day.
三時（さんじ）	✅ Use に	三時に来てください。 — Please come at 3.
月曜日（げつようび）	✅ Use に	月曜日に会議があります。 — Meeting on Monday.
四月（しがつ）	✅ Use に	四月に始まります。 — It starts in April.

The rule of thumb: If the time word is relative (“today,” “next week,” “this year,” “every day”), skip に. If the time word is a fixed point on the clock or calendar (a specific hour, day of the week, month, or date), use に.

### から and まで

から（kara） marks the starting point: “from” / “since”
まで（made） marks the ending point: “until” / “up to”

• 九時から五時まで働きます。 — くじからごじまではたらきます。 — I work from 9 to 5.
• 月曜日から金曜日まで授業があります。 — げつようびからきんようびまでじゅぎょうがあります。 — Classes are from Monday to Friday.

### までに — by a deadline

までに（made ni） means “by (a deadline)” — you must complete something before a specific time. Compare:

• 五時まで待ちます。 — ごじまでまちます。 — I’ll wait until 5 o’clock. (I am continuously there until 5)
• 五時までに来てください。 — ごじまでにきてください。 — Please come by 5 o’clock. (arrive before 5, not necessarily at exactly 5)

### Common particle mistakes

The two most common time-particle mistakes English speakers make:

• Adding に after 今日, 明日, 昨日 — these never take に.
• Confusing まで (“until / continuously up to”) with までに (“by a deadline, then done”). In English both can be translated as “by,” which causes confusion.

— ## ごろ vs ぐらい / くらい ### ごろ for approximate time point

ごろ（goro） is used when you want to express an approximate point in time — roughly when something happens. It attaches to a time or date expression.

• 三時ごろに来てください。 — さんじごろにきてください。 — Please come around 3 o’clock.
• 来月ごろに完成します。 — らいげつごろにかんせいします。 — It’ll be finished around next month.

### ぐらい / くらい for approximate duration or quantity

ぐらい（gurai） or くらい（kurai） (both are correct; kurai is slightly more formal) expresses an approximate amount or duration — roughly how long, how many, how much.

• 三時間ぐらいかかります。 — さんじかんぐらいかかります。 — It takes about three hours.
• 一ヶ月ぐらい日本にいました。 — いっかげつぐらいにほんにいました。 — I was in Japan for about a month.

### Side-by-side examples

Sentence	Particle	Why
三時ごろに来ます。 — I’ll come around 3.	ごろ	Approximate time point
三時間ぐらいかかります。 — It takes about 3 hours.	ぐらい	Approximate duration
来月ごろに始まります。 — It starts around next month.	ごろ	Approximate time point
三ヶ月ぐらい勉強しました。 — I studied for about 3 months.	ぐらい	Approximate duration

### Common confusion and how to avoid it

The key question is: are you approximating a point in time (when?) or a quantity/duration (how long / how many?)

Question answered	Use	Example
“Around when?” — approximate time point	ごろ	七時ごろ — around 7 o’clock
“About how long / how many?” — approximate amount	ぐらい / くらい	七時間ぐらい — about 7 hours

— ## Practical Japanese Time and Dates for Travel and Daily Life ### Hotel check-in and check-out

チェックインは何時からですか？
チェックインはなんじからですか？
From what time can I check in?

午後三時からでございます。
ごごさんじからでございます。
From 3 PM (polite form used by staff).

チェックアウトは十一時までにお願いします。
チェックアウトはじゅういちじまでにおねがいします。
Checkout is by 11 o’clock, please.

### Train departure and arrival times

この電車は何時に出発しますか？
このでんしゃはなんじにしゅっぱつしますか？
What time does this train depart?

次の電車は十時十五分に来ます。
つぎのでんしゃはじゅうじじゅうごふんにきます。
The next train comes at 10:15.

大阪には何時ごろ着きますか？
おおさかにはなんじごろつきますか？
Around what time will we arrive in Osaka?

### Restaurant reservation

予約をしたいのですが。
よやくをしたいのですが。
I’d like to make a reservation.

何日の何時になさいますか？
なんにちのなんじになさいますか？
What date and time would you like?

三月十日の午後七時半、二名でお願いします。
さんがつとおかのごごしちじはん、にめいでおねがいします。
March 10th, 7:30 PM, for two people please.

### Doctor and hospital appointment

来週の火曜日に予約を取りたいのですが。
らいしゅうのかようびによやくをとりたいのですが。
I’d like to make an appointment for next Tuesday.

午前十時はいかがでしょうか？
ごぜんじゅうじはいかがでしょうか？
How about 10 AM?

### Asking staff about opening hours

何時まで開いていますか？
なんじまであいていますか？
What time are you open until?

定休日はいつですか？
ていきゅうびはいつですか？
What is your regular closing day?

何時から何時まで営業していますか？
なんじからなんじまでえいぎょうしていますか？
What are your business hours? (literally: From what time to what time are you operating?)

— ## Common Time and Date Mistakes English Speakers Make ### Using English date order (month first)

English speakers instinctively want to say the month first, like “April 3rd.” In Japanese this is reversed. Always go Year → Month → Day. If you write or type dates, the kanji 年月日 (nen gatsu nichi) reminds you of the correct order.

### Reading dates as regular numbers (saying いちにち for the 1st)

This is a very common mistake for absolute beginners. The 1st of the month is ついたち, not いちにち. In fact, いちにち (一日) does exist — but it means “one whole day” as a duration, not “the 1st of the month.” The special readings for days 1–10 are the backbone of dates in Japanese; you cannot avoid them.

### よんがつ and きゅうがつ traps

As covered above: April is always しがつ and September is always くがつ. July is always しちがつ, not ななかがつ. The months 4, 7, and 9 use their classical readings. Drill these three until they are automatic.

### Using に with every time word

Beginner learners often add に after everything: ❌ 今日に行きます, ❌ 明日に会いましょう. Both are wrong. Relative time expressions (今日, 明日, 昨日, 来週, etc.) do not take に. Only fixed time points (hours, days of the week, months, specific dates) take に.

Decision flowchart for に:

Is the time word a fixed point on the clock or calendar?
  (e.g. 三時, 月曜日, 四月, 三日)
  ├─ YES → Use に  (三時に、月曜日に、四月に)
  └─ NO  → Is it relative / vague?
              (e.g. 今日, 明日, 来週, 毎日, いつも)
              └─ NO に needed  (今日、明日、来週)

### Confusing ごろ and ぐらい

Remember: ごろ = approximately when (time point); ぐらい = approximately how much / how long (quantity or duration). If you can replace the word with “around [time]” (7 o’clock-ish), use ごろ. If you can replace it with “about [amount]” (about 3 hours, about 10 people), use ぐらい.

— ## Quick Quiz — Japanese Time and Dates

Test yourself! Try to answer before looking at the answers at the bottom of each section.

### Month reading quiz

How do you read these months in Japanese?

1. 四月
2. 九月
3. 七月
4. 十一月
5. 二月

Answers: 1) しがつ   2) くがつ   3) しちがつ   4) じゅういちがつ   5) にがつ

### Date reading quiz

How do you read these dates?

1. 一日
2. 八日
3. 二十日
4. 十四日
5. 三日

Answers: 1) ついたち   2) ようか   3) はつか   4) じゅうよっか   5) みっか

### Weekday quiz

Match the kanji to the day of the week:

1. 水曜日
2. 金曜日
3. 木曜日
4. 土曜日
5. 日曜日

Answers: 1) Wednesday   2) Friday   3) Thursday   4) Saturday   5) Sunday

### Time and duration quiz

Fill in the blank:

1. 「The meeting is at 3 PM.」 → 会議は午後＿＿＿にあります。
2. 「The film is two hours long.」 → 映画は＿＿＿です。
3. 「I’ll come around 7 o’clock.」 → 七時＿＿＿に来ます。
4. 「It takes about 30 minutes.」 → 三十分＿＿＿かかります。
5. 「Half past six AM.」 → 午前＿＿＿＿。

Answers: 1) 三時（さんじ）   2) 二時間（にじかん）   3) ごろ   4) ぐらい   5) 六時半（ろくじはん）

### Particle quiz (に / ごろ / ぐらい)

Choose the correct particle or decide if no particle is needed:

1. 明日＿＿＿図書館に行きます。 (Tomorrow I’m going to the library.)
2. 月曜日＿＿＿来てください。 (Please come on Monday.)
3. 三ヶ月＿＿＿日本語を勉強しました。 (I studied Japanese for about 3 months.)
4. 十時＿＿＿始まります。 (It starts around 10 o’clock.)
5. 六月＿＿＿雨が多いです。 (In June there is a lot of rain.)

Answers: 1) [no particle] 明日、図書館に行きます。   2) に   3) ぐらい   4) ごろ   5) は or に (both acceptable; に for “in June specifically”)

Which part of Japanese time and date expressions trips you up the most? The date order, the special day readings, or era years? Share in the comments!

---

## Keep Learning

Dates and times rely heavily on knowing your Japanese numbers. If any of the number readings above felt shaky, this article will help:

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Dates and times also connect closely to Japanese counters — the special words used when counting objects, people, and actions. This guide covers the most important ones:

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Japanese Counters: How to Count People, Things, and Animals In Japanese, you can't just say 'three dogs' or 'five sheets of paper' — you need a counter word that matches what you're counting. 三匹 (san-biki) for small...

The number 4 and 7 come up constantly in dates (April, July, the 4th, the 7th). If you’re unsure when to use よん vs し and なな vs しち, this article explains the rules:

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yon vs shi, nana vs shichi: Which Japanese Number Reading to Use The number 4 in Japanese can be yon or shi. The number 7 can be nana or shichi. If you've tried memorizing Japanese numbers and wondered why there are two re...