Foundation · Clock time · M3

Now Japanese
can find the hour.

何時ですか

You know when at the scale of days. Now zoom in. Meetings, trains and appointments have a habit of caring about the hour.

01 · Ask the hour

What time is it?

何時 is read なんじ — nanji. Add ですか and you have one of daily Japanese's most useful questions.

何時ですか。Nanji desu ka.What time is it?
今、何時ですか。Ima, nanji desu ka.What time is it now?
02 · Morning rhythm

The day starts acquiring hours.

A train, workplace, school gate and small shop may all begin differently. Time quietly coordinates the choreography.

7時です。Shichiji desu.It is seven o'clock.
8時です。Hachiji desu.It is eight o'clock.
9時です。Kuji desu.It is nine o'clock.
03 · Pronunciation

Three little surprises.

Most hours behave. These three deserve practice before they ambush you at a station.

4時です。Yoji desu.It is four o'clock.
7時です。Shichiji desu.It is seven o'clock.
9時です。Kuji desu.It is nine o'clock.
4時 = よじ, not yonji. 7時 = しちじ. 9時 = くじ, not kyūji. Japanese numbers behaved nicely for several lessons. Apparently they felt that was enough.
04 · Meeting at ten

What time is the meeting?

いつ asks broadly when. 何時 asks specifically for the clock hour.

会議は何時ですか。Kaigi wa nanji desu ka.What time is the meeting?
会議は10時です。Kaigi wa jūji desu.The meeting is at ten.
05 · Real conversations

Time becomes conversational.

Meeting · Female → Male

会議は何時ですか。Kaigi wa nanji desu ka.What time is the meeting?
会議は10時です。Kaigi wa jūji desu.The meeting is at ten.

Appointment · Female → Male

予約は何時ですか。Yoyaku wa nanji desu ka.What time is the appointment?
予約は3時です。Yoyaku wa sanji desu.The appointment is at three.
06 · Train at eight

At a station, the hour matters.

“Sometime today” is philosophically interesting. It is less impressive when you are trying to catch a train.

電車は何時ですか。Densha wa nanji desu ka.What time is the train?
電車は8時です。Densha wa hachiji desu.The train is at eight.
07 · Work

The same frame travels.

Change the topic; keep the question. Repetition is the language becoming yours.

仕事は何時ですか。Shigoto wa nanji desu ka.What time is work?
仕事は9時です。Shigoto wa kuji desu.Work is at nine.
予約は何時ですか。Yoyaku wa nanji desu ka.What time is the appointment?
予約は3時です。Yoyaku wa sanji desu.The appointment is at three.
12時です。Jūniji desu.It is twelve o'clock.
08 · Everyday Japan

A city is partly made of hours.

Deliveries arrive. Schools begin. Cafés prepare. Offices fill. People return home. The clock is rarely the most beautiful thing in the scene, but its rhythm is everywhere.

今、何時ですか。Ima, nanji desu ka.What time is it now?
7時です。Shichiji desu.It is seven o'clock.
09 · Real Japan Mission

Ask for one real hour.

Ask about a meeting, train, appointment or work start. Listen for the number before 時. Notice whether you hear よじ, しちじ or くじ.

10時です。Jūji desu.It is ten o'clock.
3時です。Sanji desu.It is three o'clock.
The hour arrives

Hours pass invisibly. Ordinary life keeps arriving inside them.

A bicycle waits. Someone walks home. Another person is still expected somewhere. Japanese can now locate those moments not only on a day, but inside it.

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