You have just made a new Japanese friend and they suggest meeting up. Easy — until they ask: 「来週の月曜日の午後3時はどう？」 Your brain scrambles: raishuu… Monday… 3 PM… but which particle goes where? And is that 3 PM or 3 AM? Whether you are arranging a meet-up with a friend, checking a train timetable, or booking a restaurant in Japan, time language is absolutely unavoidable. This guide gives you everything you need: clock times, days of the week, calendar dates, and the vocabulary that links them all together.
At a Glance: 12 Essential Japanese Time Words
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今（いま） | ima | now |
| 今日（きょう） | kyou | today |
| 明日（あした） | ashita | tomorrow |
| 昨日（きのう） | kinou | yesterday |
| 来週（らいしゅう） | raishuu | next week |
| 先週（せんしゅう） | senshuu | last week |
| 今月（こんげつ） | kongetsu | this month |
| 来年（らいねん） | rainen | next year |
| 〜時（〜じ） | ~ji | o’clock (~) |
| 〜分（〜ふん） | ~fun / ~pun | ~ minutes |
| 午前（ごぜん） / 午後（ごご） | gozen / gogo | AM / PM |
| 〜頃（〜ごろ） | ~goro | around ~ / approximately ~ |
Telling the Time: 〜時〜分 (Hours and Minutes)
Reading a clock in Japanese is more logical than it looks. The basic pattern is:
[午前/午後] + [hour]時 + [minutes]分
For example: 午後（ごご）3時（さんじ）30分（さんじゅっぷん） = 3:30 PM. Japanese uses a 12-hour clock with 午前（ごぜん） for AM and 午後（ごご） for PM placed before the time. You may also see 24-hour format on train timetables and official documents: 15:30 (じゅうごじさんじゅっぷん).
Hour readings 1–12 — watch the irregular ones
| Time | Reading | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1時 | いちじ (ichiji) | Regular |
| 2時 | にじ (niji) | Regular |
| 3時 | さんじ (sanji) | Regular |
| 4時 | よじ (yoji) | Irregular — NOT しじ (shiji) |
| 5時 | ごじ (goji) | Regular |
| 6時 | ろくじ (rokuji) | Regular |
| 7時 | しちじ (shichiji) | Irregular — NOT ななじ (nanaji) |
| 8時 | はちじ (hachiji) | Regular |
| 9時 | くじ (kuji) | Irregular — NOT きゅうじ (kyuuji) |
| 10時 | じゅうじ (juuji) | Regular |
| 11時 | じゅういちじ (juuichiji) | Regular |
| 12時 | じゅうにじ (juuniji) | Regular |
The three hours that trip up beginners are 4時（よじ）, 7時（しちじ）, and 9時（くじ）. These use the alternate number readings よ (yo), しち (shichi), and く (ku) instead of the standard し (shi), なな (nana), and きゅう (kyuu). The alternate readings are used to avoid sounding ambiguous or uncomfortable: し sounds like 4 in some compounds and きゅう can sound unclear at speed.
Useful time shortcuts:
- Half past: [hour]時半（はん） — e.g., 3時半 = 3:30
- Quarter past: [hour]時十五分（じゅうごふん） = 15 minutes past
- Quarter to: [hour]時四十五分（よんじゅうごふん） = 45 minutes past
- Approximately: add 頃（ごろ） after the time — 3時頃 = around 3 o’clock
Example sentences — Telling the time
今（いま）、午後（ごご）4時（よじ）十五分（じゅうごふん）です。
Ima, gogo yoji juugofun desu.
It is 4:15 PM right now.
電車（でんしxゃ）は午前（ごぜん）9時（くじ）頃（ごろ）に出ます。
Densha wa gozen kuji goro ni demasu.
The train leaves at around 9 AM.
Yuka今（いま）何時（なんじ）？
Ima nanji?
What time is it now?
Rei午後（ごご）7時（しちじ）半（はん）だよ。映画（えいが）は8時（はちじ）からだから、まだ時間（じかん）あるよ！
Gogo shichiji han da yo. Eiga wa hachiji kara dakara, mada jikan aru yo!
It’s 7:30 PM. The movie starts at 8, so we still have time!
Days of the Week: 月火水木金土日
The seven days of the week in Japanese are built from the classical elements: moon, fire, water, wood, metal/gold, earth, and sun. Once you link each kanji to its element, the days become surprisingly easy to remember.
| Kanji | Reading | Day | Element | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | げつようび (getsuyoubi) | Monday | Moon (月) | Moon = Monday — both start with M |
| 火曜日 | かようび (kayoubi) | Tuesday | Fire (火) | Fire = Tuesday (Mars, god of war, is fire) |
| 水曜日 | すいようび (suiyoubi) | Wednesday | Water (水) | Water flows through the middle of the week |
| 木曜日 | もっくようび (mokuyoubi) | Thursday | Wood (木) | Wood = Thursday (Thor, the Norse tree god) |
| 金曜日 | きんようび (kinyoubi) | Friday | Gold/Metal (金) | Friday = payday = gold! |
| 土曜日 | どようび (doyoubi) | Saturday | Earth (土) | Saturday = stay on Earth, relax |
| 日曜日 | にちようび (nichiyoubi) | Sunday | Sun (日) | Sun = Sunday — obvious! |
In spoken and written Japanese, you can drop 曜日 and just say the short form: 月曜 (getsu), 火曜 (ka), 水曜 (sui), etc. This is common in schedules and casual conversation. To talk about a specific day next week, combine with 来週（らいしゅう）: 来週の月曜日（らいしゅう の げつようび） = next Monday.
Example sentences — Days of the week
来週（らいしゅう）の木曜日（もっくようび）に会議（かいぎ。）があります。
Raishuu no mokuyoubi ni kaigi ga arimasu.
I have a meeting next Thursday.
土曜日（どようび）はいつも密秘（ひみつ）のことまで小説（しょうせつ）を読んでいます。
Doyoubi wa itsumo himitsu no koto made shousetsu wo yonde imasu.
On Saturdays I always read novels until the secret hours of the night. (casual sentence about weekend habit)
Yuka来週（らいしゅう）の金曜日（きんようび）に一緒（いっしょ）にカラオケへ行きませんか？
Raishuu no kinyoubi ni issho ni karaoke e ikimasen ka?
Would you like to go karaoke together next Friday?
Reiいいですね！午後（ごご）何時（なんじ）頃（ごろ）がいいですか？
Ii desu ne! Gogo nanji goro ga ii desu ka?
Sounds great! What time in the afternoon works for you?
Days and Dates: Ordinal Readings and Months
Dates in Japanese can be tricky because the readings for days 1–10 (and a few others) are native Japanese words, not the Sino-Japanese numbers you might expect. Think of them as a short vocabulary list to memorize.
Relative day words
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一昨日 | おととい (ototoi) | the day before yesterday |
| 昨日 | きのう (kinou) | yesterday |
| 今日 | きょう (kyou) | today |
| 明日 | あした (ashita) | tomorrow |
| 明後日 | あさって (asatte) | the day after tomorrow |
Calendar date readings — the irregular ones to know
| Date | Reading | Date | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1日 | ついたち (tsuitachi) | 11日 | じゅういちにち (juuichinichi) |
| 2日 | ふつか (futsuka) | 14日 | じゅうよっか (juuyokka) ⚠️ |
| 3日 | みっか (mikka) | 20日 | はつか (hatsuka) ⚠️ |
| 4日 | よっか (yokka) | 21日 | にじゅういちにち (nijuuichinichi) |
| 5日 | いつか (itsuka) | 24日 | にじゅうよっか (nijuuyokka) ⚠️ |
| 6日 | むいか (muika) | 28日 | にじゅうはちにち (nijuuhachinicchi) |
| 7日 | なのか (nanoka) | 30日 | さんじゅうにち (sanjuunichi) |
| 8日 | ようか (youka) | 31日 | さんじゅういちにち (sanjuuichinichi) |
| 9日 | ここのか (kokonoka) | ||
| 10日 | とおか (tooka) |
The ⚠️ dates (14日, 20日, 24日) are particularly important because they do not follow the predictable pattern. 14日 is juuyokka, not juuyonnichi; 20日 is hatsuka, a completely different-sounding word. These come up constantly in travel and daily life, so memorize them as a group.
Months (1月–12月) follow a simple formula: number + 月 (gatsu). January = 1月（いちがつ）, February = 2月（にがつ）, and so on through December = 12月（じゅうにがつ）. To give a full date, say year → month → day: 今年（ことし）5月（ごがつ）3日（みっか） = May 3rd of this year.
Example sentences — Dates
彼女（かのじょ）の誕生日（たんじょうび）は7月（しちがつ）20日（はつか）です。
Kanojo no tanjoubi wa shichigatsu hatsuka desu.
Her birthday is July 20th.
明後日（あさって）までにレポートを完成（かんせい）しなければなりません。
Asatte made ni repo−to wo kansei shinakereba narimasen.
I have to finish the report by the day after tomorrow.
Relative Time Expressions: Before, After, and In-Between
Once you know how to say a point in time, you need words to describe the space around it. These expressions let you say things like “three hours ago,” “in ten minutes,” and “during the exam.”
| Expression | Reading | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| [time] + 前（まえ） | ~mae | [time] ago / [time] before | 3時間前（さんじかんまえ） = 3 hours ago |
| [time] + 後（ごこ）/あと | ~go / ~ato | [time] later / after [time] | 10分後（じゅっぷんごこ） = in 10 minutes |
| [period] + 間（あいだ/かん） | ~aida / ~kan | during / for [a period] | 授業の間（じゅぎょうのあいだ） = during class |
| さっき | sakki | just now / a moment ago | さっき韻にたった = arrived just now |
| もうすぐ | mou sugu | very soon / almost | もうすぐ進居する = moving soon |
| まもなく | mamonaku | shortly / before long (formal) | まもなく指定の駅に参ります = will arrive at the designated station shortly |
| ちょうど | choudo | exactly / right on time | ちょうど3時 = exactly 3 o’clock |
もうすぐ vs. まもなく: Both mean “soon,” but もうすぐ is everyday casual speech, while まもなく is the formal/announcer register. You hear まもなく on train platforms and in broadcast journalism; you say もうすぐ when texting a friend.
Example sentences — Relative time
列車（れっしxゃ）は10分後（じゅっぷんごこ）に発車（はっしxゃ）します。
Ressha wa juppun go ni hassha shimasu.
The train will depart in 10 minutes.
ちょうど9時（くじ）に家（いえ）を出たのに、遷刻（ちこく）してしまいました。
Choudo kuji ni ie wo deta noni, chikoku shite shimaimashita.
Even though I left home at exactly 9 o’clock, I ended up being late.
Yukaもうすぐ到着（とうちゃく）する！剩り（のこり）5分（ごふん）だから！
Mou sugu touchaku suru! Nokori gofun dakara!
I’m almost there! Only 5 minutes left!
Rei映画（えいが）はもうちょうど始まるよ！さっき、途中（とちゅう）で連絡（れんらく）したよ。
Eiga wa mou choudo hajimaru yo! Sakki, tochuu de renraku shita yo.
The movie is starting right now! I messaged you a moment ago on the way!
Time in Sentences: The Particle に and Frequency Words
Knowing the vocabulary is only half the battle. You also need to know how time words connect to verbs in a sentence. Two rules cover almost every situation at N5 level.
Rule 1: Use に for fixed, specific points in time
The particle に（ni） marks a specific, pinned point on the clock or calendar. Think of it as placing an X on a timeline.
| Use に | Do NOT use に |
|---|---|
| 3時に起きました。 (at 3 o’clock) | 今日＿学校に行きます。 (today) |
| 月曜日に会いましょう。 (on Monday) | 明日＿友達に会います。 (tomorrow) |
| 5月（ごがつ）に引っ越します。 (in May) | 来週＿イベントがあります。 (next week) |
The pattern: clock times, weekday names, and month names take に. Relative words like 今日（きょう）, 明日（あした）, 昨日（きのう）, 来週（らいしゅう）, 先週（せんしゅう）, くや 今（いま） do not take に because they are already anchored to “now.”
Rule 2: Frequency words go before the verb without に
Words like 毎日（まいにち） (every day), いつも (always), たまに (occasionally), and めったに…ない (rarely) modify how often an action happens. They appear before the verb and do not take に.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 毎日 | まいにち (mainichi) | every day | 毎日日本語を総習する。 (I review Japanese every day.) |
| いつも | itsumo | always / usually | いつも遅刻する。 (He is always late.) |
| たまに | tama ni | occasionally / once in a while | たまに外食する。 (I eat out occasionally.) |
| めったに…ない | metta ni…nai | rarely / seldom | めったに食べない。 (I rarely eat it.) |
Example sentences — Particles and frequency
月曜日（げつようび）にいつもジムに行きます。
Getsuyoubi ni itsumo jimu ni ikimasu.
I always go to the gym on Mondays.
昨日（きのう）はたまに早起き（はやおき）しました。
Kinou wa tama ni hayaoki shimashita.
Yesterday I woke up early for once (occasionally).
Common Mistakes
These are the time-expression errors that appear most often in learner Japanese. Knowing them now will save you from cementing bad habits early.
Mistake 1: Adding に after 今日, 明日, 昨日
❌ 明日に会いましょう。
✅ 明日（あした）会いましょう。
Ashita aimashou. — Let’s meet tomorrow.
Relative time words (今日, 明日, 昨日, 来週, 先月, etc.) are already anchored to “now,” so no additional particle is needed. Adding に here is a very common N5-level error. Native speakers will understand you, but it sounds unnatural.
Mistake 2: Mispronouncing 4時, 7時, 9時
❌ 4時 = shiji (using the standard number reading)
✅ 4時 = よじ (yoji)
❌ 7時 = nanaji
✅ 7時 = しちじ (shichiji)
❌ 9時 = kyuuji
✅ 9時 = くじ (kuji)
These three are fixed in the language — there is no variation. If you say shiji instead of yoji, Japanese speakers may still understand from context, but it will sound unusual. Drill these three together as a set.
Mistake 3: Confusing 先週 (senshuu) and 来週 (raishuu)
先（せん） contains the idea of “ahead” or “before” in some contexts, which makes English speakers guess it means “next.” It does not. 先週（せんしゅう） = last week. 来週（らいしゅう） = next week. A useful mnemonic: 来（らい） means “to come / arrive” — it is coming toward you, so it is in the future.
Mistake 4: Saying the irregular date readings with regular numbers
❌ 20日 = nijuunichi
✅ 20日 = はつか (hatsuka)
❌ 14日 = juuyonnichi
✅ 14日 = じゅうよっか (juuyokka)
The irregular date readings are traditional Japanese number words layered onto the calendar. They must be memorized as fixed forms, not derived by adding にち to a number.
Quick Quiz
Cover the answers and test yourself. When you are done, scroll down to check.
1. How do you say “7 o’clock” in Japanese? (Careful — it’s irregular.)
Answer: しちじ（shichiji）
2. Which particle, if any, belongs in the blank? “I have class _____ Monday.” 月曜日___授業があります。
Answer: に — 月曜日に授業があります。 (Day names are fixed calendar points, so に is correct.)
3. What is the reading for 20日?
Answer: はつか（hatsuka）
4. True or false: 先週（せんしゅう） means “next week.”
Answer: False. 先週（せんしゅう） means last week. 来週（らいしゅう） means next week.
5. Translate this sentence: “The meeting is at 9 AM on Wednesday.” (Use the correct particle.)
Answer: 水曜日（すいようび）の午前（ごぜん）9時（くじ）に会議（かいぎ）があります。
How did you do? Which time expressions do you find trickiest? Share in the comments and try writing a sentence using one of the patterns from this article — we read every comment!
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About the Author
Daisuke is the creator of JP YoKoSo — a Japanese learning site for English speakers. Every article is written to explain Japanese clearly, with real examples, grammar notes, and practical tips for learners at every level.
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