Meaning
To tell time in Japanese, combine a number + じ (hour) + number + ふん/ぷん (minute). Hours follow standard number readings except: 4 o'clock is よじ (not よんじ), 7 o'clock is しちじ, and 9 o'clock is くじ. Minutes use ふん after 2, 5, 7, 9, but ぷん after 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10. Add time-of-day words like ごぜん (morning), ごご (afternoon), or よる (evening) before the time for clarity.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 时 | 数字＋じ |
| 分 | 数字＋ふん／ぷん |
| 时间段 | ごぜん／ごご／あさ／ひる／よる＋時刻 |
Examples
-
1じ25ふん
1:25 (いちじ にじゅうごふん) -
5じ40ぷん
5:40 (ごじ よんじゅっぷん) -
11ぷん（じゅういっぷん）
11 minutes (じゅういっぷん) -
26ぷん（にじゅうろっぷん）
26 minutes (にじゅうろっぷん) -
30ぷん（さんじゅっぷん）
30 minutes (さんじゅっぷん / half an hour - はん) -
ごぜん 8じ
8 o'clock in the morning (ごぜん はちじ) -
ごご 5じ
5 o'clock in the afternoon (ごご ごじ) -
あさ 6じ
6 o'clock in the early morning (あさ ろくじ) -
よる 12じ
12 o'clock at night (よる じゅうにじ)
Summary
- Hours (じ): Use standard number readings, but 4=よじ, 7=しちじ, 9=くじ
- Minutes (ふん/ぷん): Use ふん after 2,5,7,9 and ぷん after 1,3,4,6,8,10; numbers 1,6,8,10 become geminate consonants (いっぷん, ろっぷん, はっぷん, じゅっぷん)
- Add time-of-day words (ごぜん, ごご, あさ, ひる, よる) before the time to specify morning, afternoon, or evening