Japanese doesn’t have a single catch-all word for ‘time’. What English packs into one word, Japanese splits across at least five depending on whether you mean duration, clock reading, occasion, instance, or historical era. Getting the right one is one of the more common sticking points for learners.
The five main senses
- 時間 (jikan) — duration, an amount of time. ‘I don’t have time’ = 時間がない. ‘The meeting took 2 hours’ = 2時間かかった. Also the counter for hours: 一時間, 二時間, 三時間.
- 時 (toki) — a moment, occasion, ‘when’. ‘When I was a kid’ = 子供の時 (kodomo no toki). ‘At that time’ = その時. Forms compound 時々 (tokidoki, ‘sometimes’).
- 回 (kai) — an instance counted as ‘once/twice/thrice’. ‘I went three times’ = 三回行った (sankai itta). Never 三時間 (three hours) when you mean three visits.
- 時刻 (jikoku) — a specific point on the clock. ‘Departure time’ = 出発時刻. Slightly formal.
- 時代 (jidai) — historical era or life phase. ‘The Meiji era’ = 明治時代. ‘In my college days’ = 大学時代.
Same kanji, two readings: 時 (ji) vs 時 (toki)
The kanji 時 is read two different ways depending on use, and this is a common beginner trap.
- ji — the counter for o’clock: 三時 (san-ji, ‘3 o’clock’). Always with a number in front. Appears in compounds: 時間 (ji-kan), 時計 (to-kei — irregular reading, ‘clock’), 時速 (ji-soku, ‘speed per hour’), 時代 (ji-dai, ‘era’).
- toki — the standalone word for ‘a time/moment/occasion’: あの時, 子供の時, 時々.
The rule: if 時 is acting as a counter (attached to a number) or part of a Chinese-derived compound, it reads ji. If it’s a standalone noun meaning ‘a time/occasion’, it reads toki. Beginners often try to force one reading on both uses — 時 shifts based on how it’s being used.
Telling and asking the clock
For asking the clock time, you say 今何時ですか (ima nan-ji desu ka, ‘what time is it now?’). Note it’s nan-ji (何時) with the ‘ji’ reading, not nan-jikan — asking nan-jikan would mean ‘how many hours?’, which is a different question.
Minutes use the counter 分 (fun/pun): 三時十五分 (san-ji jū-go-fun, ‘3:15’). The voicing on 分 varies: 一分 (ippun), 二分 (nifun), 三分 (sanpun), 四分 (yonpun)… follows its own rules.
Time words you’ll use daily
- 今 (ima) — ‘now’.
- 今日 (kyō) — ‘today’.
- 昨日 (kinō) — ‘yesterday’.
- 明日 (ashita / asu) — ‘tomorrow’.
- 毎日 (mainichi) — ‘every day’.
- 最近 (saikin) — ‘recently’.
- いつ (itsu) — ‘when?’ (the question word).
- 久しぶり (hisashiburi) — ‘a long time since’ (a greeting after a gap).
Cultural note on time
Japanese culture has a strong emphasis on being on time — punctuality in business, trains, and appointments is a cultural norm. The word 時間厳守 (jikan genshu, ‘strict time-keeping’) appears on schedules and invitations. Being even five minutes late to a business appointment often calls for apology; trains run to the minute and any delay is announced in detail.
On the opposite side, 時間つぶし (jikan tsubushi, ‘killing time’) and 暇 (hima, ‘free time’) are cultural categories — productive vs wasted time are sharply divided in self-talk.
Related expressions and compounds
- 時計 (tokei) — clock / watch. Irregular reading of 時+計.
- 時速 (jisoku) — speed per hour (km/h). 時速60キロ = ’60 km/h’.
- 時給 (jikyū) — hourly wage. 時給1000円 = ‘¥1000/hour’.
- 時差 (jisa) — time difference, jet lag. 時差ぼけ = jet lag.
- 一瞬 (isshun) — ‘a moment, an instant’.
- しばらく (shibaraku) — ‘a while’. しばらくお待ちください = ‘please wait a moment’.
- 時間通り (jikan dōri) — ‘on time, exactly as scheduled’.