Japanese Time Expressions: 朝/奈/夜, AM/PM, and Relative Time (Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday)

Telling time in Japanese is surprisingly easy once you know the key vocabulary — but English speakers often trip over three areas: the names for parts of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night), the AM/PM system, and relative time words like “yesterday,” “tomorrow,” and “the day after tomorrow.” This guide covers all three, with examples and memory tips.

At a Glance: Japanese Time Expression Overview

Yuka

I keep getting confused between 夢 (yume / dream), 夜 (yoru / night), and 奈 (yuugata / evening). They sound similar to me!

Rei

Easy trick: 奈 (yuugata) is when the sun is setting — imagine “you go to eat” at that time. 夜 (yoru) is when it’s dark. And 夢 is a dream — not a time word at all!

Parts of the Day: 朝/昜方/奈/夜 (Asa / Hiruma / Yuugata / Yoru)

Japanese divides the day into four main periods. Unlike English, which mostly just uses “morning,” “afternoon,” “evening,” and “night,” Japanese has specific words that carry slightly different nuances:

Key point: 奈 (yuugata) covers the gap between afternoon and night that English “evening” partially covers. English speakers often try to use 夜 (yoru) when 奈 would be more accurate for the 5–7pm window.

AM and PM in Japanese: 午前 and 午後

Japanese uses a 12-hour clock in everyday speech (and a 24-hour clock in formal/transportation contexts). The AM/PM markers are:

Word order: In Japanese, 午前/午後 comes BEFORE the hour, unlike English where we put AM/PM after:
午前十時 = 10:00 AM
午後十時 = 10:00 PM

Common mistake: English speakers sometimes say just 十時 (10 o’clock) without clarifying AM or PM when context is ambiguous. Always add 午前 or 午後 when scheduling.

Yuka

Is it okay to just say 夜八時に会いましょう (let’s meet at 8 at night) instead of 午後八時?

Rei

Yes, that’s totally natural! 夜八時 is clear because 8 at night obviously means PM. But for ambiguous times like 十時, always specify: 午前十時 or 午後十時.

Relative Time: Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow and Beyond

Japanese has a rich set of relative time words. These are essential for everyday conversation and JLPT N5/N4:

Telling Time: How to Say Hours and Minutes

Telling the time follows a simple pattern: [AM/PM] + [hour]時 + [minute]分

Common Mistakes with Japanese Time Expressions

Quick Quiz: Japanese Time Expressions

Fill in the blank. Answers below.

1. 6:00 AM in Japanese is ________ (gozen/gogo) 六時.
2. 奈 refers to which part of the day? (a) morning (b) late afternoon/early evening (c) midnight
3. The formal spoken/written word for “tomorrow” used in business emails is ________.
4. 奈五時十五分 means ________ (time).
5. 昨日 means _______. (yesterday / tomorrow / today)

Answers

1. 午前 (gozen) — 6:00 AM = 午前六時
2. (b) Late afternoon / early evening (approx. 4–7pm, dusk)
3. 明後日 (myounichi)
4. 5:15 PM — 奈 confirms PM, 五時 = 5 o’clock, 十五分 = 15 minutes
5. Yesterday — 昨日 (kinou)

Which time expression tripped you up the most? Do you have a memory trick for 奈 vs 夜? Share in the comments!

Practice talking about schedules and plans with a Japanese native speaker on italki — one-on-one lessons make time vocabulary stick fast.

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