Mastering the Clock in Japanese!
1. How to say “o’clock”: ~じ (~ji)
To say the hour, just add “ji” after the number. Keep an eye on 4, 7, and 9—they are special!
| 1:00 | いちじ | ichi-ji |
| 2:00 | にじ | ni-ji |
| 3:00 | さんじ | san-ji |
| 4:00 | よじ | yo-ji |
| 5:00 | ごじ | go-ji |
| 6:00 | ろくじ | roku-ji |
| 7:00 | しちじ | shichi-ji |
| 8:00 | はちじ | hachi-ji |
| 9:00 | くじ | ku-ji |
| 10:00 | じゅうじ | juu-ji |
| 11:00 | じゅういちじ | juu-ichi-ji |
| 12:00 | じゅうにじ | juu-ni-ji |
Note:
4 → よじ yo-ji (not よんじ yon-ji / しじ shi-ji)
7 → しちじ shichi-ji is standard, but ななじ nana-ji is also OK.
9 → くじ ku-ji (not きゅうじ kyu-ji)
4 → よじ yo-ji (not よんじ yon-ji / しじ shi-ji)
7 → しちじ shichi-ji is standard, but ななじ nana-ji is also OK.
9 → くじ ku-ji (not きゅうじ kyu-ji)
2. How to say “half-past”: ~じはん (~ji han)
To say “half-past,” simply add “han” (はん) after the hour. It’s as easy as that!
- 1:30 → いちじはん (ichi-ji han)
- 4:30 → よじはん (yo-ji han)
- 7:30 → しちじはん (shichi-ji han)
- 11:30 → じゅういちじはん (juu-ichi-ji han)
