Telling Time in Japanese: Say When Things Start, Run, and End
Learn to tell clock time in Japanese and use kara (from), made (until), and ni (at) to talk about simple schedules like classes, work, and trains.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
This lesson teaches you to say clock times in Japanese and to connect them with three small but essential particles: ni for 'at', kara for 'from', and made for 'until'. You will learn the numbers used for hours and minutes, the irregular readings you simply have to memorize, and how to build sentences like 'The class starts at nine' or 'I work from nine until five'. Everything here is about clock time and schedules, not daily routines in general, so you can focus on one clear skill: saying exactly when something happens.
By the end, you can…
- say clock times in Japanese, including the irregular readings for 4, 7, and 9 o'clock.
- use ni, kara, and made to say when something starts, how long it lasts, and when it ends.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
今、何時ですか。
What time is it now?
ima, nanji desu ka
The standard polite way to ask the time. Drop ima if the context is already clear.
九時です。
It is nine o'clock.
kuji desu
A simple answer. Hours use the counter -ji, and desu makes it polite.
授業は九時に始まります。
The class starts at nine.
jugyō wa kuji ni hajimarimasu
ni marks the exact clock time when something happens. hajimarimasu means 'starts'.
九時から五時まで働きます。
I work from nine until five.
kuji kara goji made hatarakimasu
kara marks the start, made marks the end. The pattern is X kara Y made.
会議は十時半からです。
The meeting is from ten thirty.
kaigi wa jūji han kara desu
han means 'half past'. Adding kara desu at the end is a common, natural way to state a start time.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To say a clock time, put a number before the counter -ji: ichiji (1:00), niji (2:00), sanji (3:00). Watch three irregular readings: yoji (4:00, not shiji), shichiji (7:00, not nanaji), and kuji (9:00, not kyūji). Minutes use -fun or -pun: gofun (5 min), juppun (10 min), nijūgofun (25 min). To say 'at' a time, add ni: shichiji ni okimasu, 'I get up at seven.' For a span, use kara ... made: kuji kara goji made, 'from nine until five.'
When to use it
Use ni with specific clock times: kaigi wa sanji ni hajimarimasu, 'The meeting starts at three.' Do not use ni with approximate words like asa (morning) or gogo (afternoon) unless you add a time: asa hachiji ni, 'at eight in the morning.' Use kara for a starting point and made for an ending point, and they can appear together: getsuyōbi kara kin'yōbi made, 'from Monday to Friday.' To ask a start time, say nanji kara desu ka, 'From what time is it?'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、今、何時ですか。
Excuse me, what time is it now?sumimasen, ima, nanji desu ka三時十分です。
It is three ten.sanji juppun desuありがとうございます。授業は四時からです。
Thank you. The class is from four o'clock.arigatō gozaimasu. jugyō wa yoji kara desuじゃあ、あと五十分ですね。
Then it is fifty minutes from now, right?jā, ato gojuppun desu neA little context goes a long way
Japanese schedules often state a start time with kara and an end time with made, and printed timetables use the 24-hour clock: 15:00 is jugoji. In speech, people usually prefer the 12-hour clock with gozen (a.m.) and gogo (p.m.). Adding ne at the end of a time statement invites agreement, as in sanji desu ne, 'It's three, isn't it?'
One thing to watch for
Using ni with kara or made, as in kuji ni kara goji ni made.
Try this instead: Use ni only for a single point in time. For a range, say kuji kara goji made, 'from nine until five.' If you mention only the start, kuji kara desu is enough; do not add ni before kara.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'It is four o'clock' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
四時です。 (yoji desu)
Four o'clock is the irregular reading yoji, not shiji. Niji, sanji, and goji follow the regular pattern, so yoji must simply be memorized.
2Translate: 'The meeting is from two until four.'
Show a sample answer
会議は二時から四時までです。 (kaigi wa niji kara yoji made desu)
kara marks the start and made marks the end. You may also say hajimarimasu and owarimasu instead of desu, depending on whether you mean 'starts and ends' or simply 'runs from ... to ...'.
3Ask 'From what time is the class?'
Show a sample answer
授業は何時からですか。 (jugyō wa nanji kara desu ka)
nanji means 'what time', and kara asks about the starting point. If you wanted the end time instead, you would ask nanji made desu ka.
Learn the irregular hours yoji, shichiji, and kuji, then attach ni for 'at', kara for 'from', and made for 'until'. Keep ni for single clock times and kara ... made for ranges.
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