Do you know what time it is? It’s Howdy Doody Japanese time!
Telling the time in Japanese isn’t too difficult, but it takes some practice. Before you continue with this lesson, you will need to know the basics of counting in Japanese. Don't know numbers or how to count? No problem, learn how to count in Japanese here. Understand the fundamentals and ready to practice? Click here if you are a Makoto+ member. (Or become one for a low monthly price!)
Hour number + 時 + Minutes number + 分 (minute):
#時#分
IMPORTANT VOCABULARY
時間 time
午後 afternoon; P.M.
午前 morning; A.M.
前 before
半 half
But... there are two slight hang-ups:
- The 分 (minute) sound changes with some numbers, and
- Some numbers also have sound changes
I highly recommend spending a few minutes studying the chart below. Repetition spaced over time leads to stronger memorization. Come back to this chart tomorrow and repeat from one minute to eleven again.
*一分 | ippun | 1 minute |
二分 | ni fun | 2 minutes |
三分 | san pun | 3 minutes |
四分 | yon pun | 4 minutes |
五分 | go fun | 5 minutes |
*六分 | roppun | 6 minutes |
七分 | nana fun | 7 minutes |
*八分 | happun or hachifun | 8 minutes |
九分 | kyuu fun | 9 minutes |
*十分 | juppun | 10 minutes |
*十一分 | juu ippun | 11 minutes |
* irregular pronunciations
What changes?
Two things:
- Number sounds
- 分 (minute) sounds
If you look at the lines above with a *, you'll see the number sound is changed in 1, 6, 8 (sometimes) and 10. Otherwise, you just say the number as you would normally. Observe:
| Normal Number Sound: | Changed Number Sound: |
| 一(1) 六(6) 八(8) 十(10) | 一分 (1 minute) 六分 (6 minutes) 八分(8 minutes) [はっぷん or often はちふん] 十分 (10 minutes) [じゅっぷん or じっぷん (this is mostly heard in news broadcasts] |
Next, notice how the 分 "fun" (the minute marker) changes. This may vary by region or dialect, but in standard Japanese, these numbers are affected: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10
Affected Numbers:
#1) 一分
ippun (1 minute)
#3) 三分
san pun (3 minutes)
#4) 四分
yon pun (4 minutes)
#6) 六分
roppun (6 minutes)
#8) 八分
happun (はっぷん or often はちふん) (8 minutes)
#10) 十分
juppun (10 minutes)
Again, please spend time reviewing and repeating the numbers in the blue box. Eventually, you'll have these memorized and you won't think twice about which sound to use.
How to say Minutes in Japanese:
Here are a few time examples. Can you understand how they are constructed?
Refer to the charts above and to the right to understand how these are constructed.
6:00
六時
6:30
六時 三十ぷん
-or-
六時 半
6:31
六時 三十一分
6:45 P.M.
午後 六時 四十五分
7 A.M.
午前 七時
15 ’til 7
七時 十五分 前
Some things to keep in mind:
- Unlike in English, the AM and PM (gozen and gogo) are said before the number.
- Numbers after ten follow the same pattern as 1-10. For example 21 minutes is "ni juu ippun" [That's, nijuuichi for 21, but the "ichi" changes sounds before the "pun": nijuuippun]
- 前 (before) is used to mean, "(some number of minutes) before (the hour)"; it comes after the time
- 半 (half) is used for the half hour; it comes after the hour
Did you get how those examples were constructed? If not, leave us a comment with any questions.
Ready to practice! Makoto+ has a Japanese Time Practice Web App for members.
Makoto+ Members, click here to practice what you've just learned. This web app just for members allows you to practice hearing a time in Japanese or seeing a clock and coming up with the Japanese. Set the mode, the clock style (analog or digital), and set the delay. Practice makes perfect!
What are the rules when saying numbers like 15 minutes would it be “ふん” or “ぷん” since 5 is “ふん” and 10 is “ぶん”
Great question! It follows the last number. In the case of 15, that would be 5: じゅうごふん
thanks