Mastering Japanese Time: Clock Time, Months, and Days (JLPT N5)

Welcome to your ultimate guide to mastering time in Japanese! Expressing when things happen is a core pillar of the JLPT N5 exam. While the system is highly logical, it features several critical phonetic irregularities that examiners love to test.

Let's break down clock time, months, and days step-by-step.

---

1. Telling Time: Hours (時) and Minutes (分)

To tell the time, Japanese uses the formula: [Number] + 時 (ji) for hours, and [Number] + 分 (fun/pun) for minutes.時分

To specify AM or PM, place 午前 (gozen - AM) or 午後 (gogo - PM) before the time.午前後

The Hours (〜時)

Most hours are straightforward, but 4, 7, and 9 are irregular. Do not use standard cardinal numbers for these!

The Minutes (〜分)

The pronunciation of 分 alternates between fun and pun depending on the preceding number to make pronunciation smoother (euphony).分

• Ends in fun: 2 (に分 - nifun), 5 (五分 - gofun), 7 (七分 - nanafun), 9 (九分 - kyūfun).分五七九
• Ends in pun (with a small っ): 1 (一分 - ippun), 3 (三分 - sampun), 4 (四分 - yonpun), 6 (六分 - roppun), 8 (八分 - happun), 10 (十分 - juppun).一分三四六八

💡 Tip: To say "half-past" (e.g., 2:30), use 半 (han) instead of 30分.
Example: 午後二時半 (gogo niji han - 2:30 PM).半分午後二時

---

2. Months of the Year (〜月)

Naming months in Japanese is incredibly simple: [Number 1-12] + 月 (gatsu).月

However, watch out for April, July, and September!

---

3. Days of the Month (〜日)

This is the most challenging part of N5 time vocabulary. Days 1 through 10, along with 14, 20, and 24, use unique, traditional Japanese readings instead of the standard [Number] + 日 (nichi) formula.日

For other days, simply use the Chinese reading: [Number] + 日 (nichi). For example, the 15th is 十五日 (jūgō-nichi).日十五

---

4. Grammar & Particles in Action

To use these time words in sentences, you need three essential particles:

A. The Time Particle: に (ni)

Use に to mark the specific time an action occurs. Do not use に with relative time words like "today" (今日 - kyō) or "tomorrow" (明日 - ashita).今日明

• 七時に起きます。
  • Shichiji ni okimasu.
  • I wake up at 7:00.
  七時起

B. From and Until: から (kara) & まで (made)

Use から (from/since) and まで (until/to) to define time spans.

• 会議は九時から十時半までです。
  • Kaigi wa kuji kara jūjihan made desu.
  • The meeting is from 9:00 until 10:30.
  会議九時十半

---

Quick Practice Challenge

Translate this sentence into Japanese using what you've learned:

"The Japanese exam is on April 20th, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM."

Answer Key:
日本語の試験は四月二十日に午後一時から三時までです。
(Nihongo no shiken wa shigatsu hatsuka ni gogo ichiji kara sanji made desu.)日本語試験四