Japanese Time Counters - Hours, Minutes, and Occurrences
Three time-related counters dominate everyday Japanese: 時 (ji) for hours and o’clock, 分 (fun / pun) for minutes, and 回 (kai) for occurrences. Time is the context where the older Sino readings (yo, shichi, ku) survive most strongly.
O’clock (the hour). Note 4, 7, 9 keep their older readings here: yo-ji, shichi-ji, ku-ji.
| # | Kanji | Romaji | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一時 | ichi-ji | ||
| 2 | 二時 | ni-ji | ||
| 3 | 三時 | san-ji | ||
| 4 | 四時 | yo-ji | NOT yon-ji | |
| 5 | 五時 | go-ji | ||
| 6 | 六時 | roku-ji | ||
| 7 | 七時 | shichi-ji | NOT nana-ji | |
| 8 | 八時 | hachi-ji | ||
| 9 | 九時 | ku-ji | NOT kyū-ji | |
| 10 | 十時 | jū-ji | ||
| 11 | 十一時 | jū-ichi-ji | ||
| 12 | 十二時 | jū-ni-ji |
Minutes. Heavy sound changes; 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 take pun.
| # | Kanji | Romaji | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一分 | ip-pun | ||
| 2 | 二分 | ni-fun | ||
| 3 | 三分 | san-pun | ||
| 4 | 四分 | yon-pun | ||
| 5 | 五分 | go-fun | ||
| 6 | 六分 | rop-pun | ||
| 7 | 七分 | nana-fun | ||
| 8 | 八分 | hap-pun | ||
| 9 | 九分 | kyū-fun | ||
| 10 | 十分 | jup-pun |
Times / occurrences (how many times something happened).
| # | Kanji | Romaji | Notes | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一回 | ik-kai | ||
| 2 | 二回 | ni-kai | ||
| 3 | 三回 | san-kai | ||
| 4 | 四回 | yon-kai | ||
| 5 | 五回 | go-kai | ||
| 6 | 六回 | rok-kai | ||
| 7 | 七回 | nana-kai | ||
| 8 | 八回 | hak-kai | ||
| 9 | 九回 | kyū-kai | ||
| 10 | 十回 | juk-kai |
Telling time, putting it together
Format: [hour]時 [minute]分. 七時三十分 (shichi-ji san-jup-pun) = "7:30". For "half past", use 半 (han): 七時半 (shichi-ji han) = "half past seven". For AM and PM, prefix 午前 (gozen) for AM, 午後 (gogo) for PM: 午後三時 (gogo san-ji) = "3 PM". Asking the time: 今何時ですか (ima nan-ji desu ka) = "what time is it now?".
〜時間 (jikan) - duration
Different from 〜時. This is duration in hours, not clock-time. Examples: 三時間 (san-jikan, "for three hours"), 八時間 (hachi-jikan, "for eight hours"). Pattern: ichi-jikan, ni-jikan, san-jikan, yo-jikan, go-jikan, roku-jikan, shichi-jikan, hachi-jikan, ku-jikan, jū-jikan.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell the time in Japanese?
Format: hour + 時 + minute + 分. Example: 7:30 = 七時三十分 (shichi-ji san-jup-pun). For "half past", use 半 (han) instead of 三十分: 七時半 (shichi-ji han, "half past seven"). For AM and PM, prefix 午前 (gozen, AM) or 午後 (gogo, PM): 午後三時 (gogo san-ji, "3 PM").
Why is 4 o’clock yo-ji and not yon-ji?
Time keeps the older yo reading. Same for 7 o’clock (shichi-ji, not nana-ji) and 9 o’clock (ku-ji, not kyū-ji). Time expressions are the most prominent context where the older Sino readings survive across the board. Outside time, default to yon, nana, kyū. See /reading-variations.
When is it -fun and when is it -pun?
The counter for minutes alternates: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 take -pun (ip-pun, san-pun, yon-pun, rop-pun, hap-pun, jup-pun); 2, 5, 7, 9 take -fun (ni-fun, go-fun, nana-fun, kyū-fun). The pattern is sound-driven: -pun follows nasal-final or geminate-creating digits.
What is the difference between 時 (ji) and 時間 (jikan)?
〜時 (ji) is the clock-time counter ("3 o’clock"). 〜時間 (jikan) is the duration counter ("for 3 hours"). Same kanji 時 in different combinations. 三時 means "3:00"; 三時間 means "for three hours" (e.g. 三時間勉強しました, san-jikan benkyō shimashita, "I studied for three hours").
How do I count "times" in Japanese (once, twice, three times)?
Use 〜回 (kai). 一回 (ik-kai) = once. 二回 (ni-kai) = twice. 三回 (san-kai) = three times. The pattern follows the 1, 6, 8, 10 gemination rule: ik-kai, ni-kai, san-kai, yon-kai, go-kai, rok-kai, nana-kai, hak-kai, kyū-kai, juk-kai.
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