12 o'clock in japanese

After learning how to write the current date in Japanese, it is also interesting to know how to ask and give the time, or 時間 djikan', in Musashi’s language.

What time is it?

To ask the time in Japanese, we say:

今 (は) 何時 ですか。
ima (wa) nan'ji dèss'ka ?

This means, literally, “What time is it right now?”

In detail, the sentence breaks down as follows:

1. 今は (は) ima (wa): now
2. 何 nan': what
3. 時 dji: hour
4. ですか dèss'ka : This indicates a question (Japanese does not typically use a question mark)

Do not forget to check for jet lag 🕓 in Japan.

Saying the time in Japanese

To give the time in Japanese, we say, for example (今は) (午後) ２時３５分 です。 (ima wa) (gogo) ni-dji sanjûgo-fun dèss', or "(Currently), it is 2:35 (in the afternoon)."

The Japanese language uses terms similar to a.m.

Time in japanese hiragana

and p.m. in English. In Japanese, we say the following:

• 午前 gozèn': "in the morning"
• 午後 gogo: "in the afternoon"

Some stores also use funny hours, such as ２５時まで (25h), or "Until 1 in the morning"!

Hours

We simply say a number and add the kanji 時 dj