Lesson 15: なんじですか

N5 · Lesson 15 · 25 min — 〜じに + ごろ・ぐらい: telling the time, days and dates

Japanese says time from big to small: month → day → weekday → hour → minute. English often goes the other way ("7:15 on Thursday, April 9"), so just flip it around! Learn a few special readings (4, 7 and 9 o'clock; April, July and September; ふん/ぷん for minutes; and dates 1–10, 14, 20, 24), add one little に, and you can read train timetables and shop opening hours. This lesson is a bit long, so feel free to do it in two sittings.

After this lesson, you can:

• Say and understand clock times ("minutes" changes between ふん and ぷん)
• Say the day of the week and the date
• Use "time + に" to say when you do something
• Use ごろ and ぐらい to say "about"

Rin's Ramen Plan

The summer field trip begins. Rin is the only one who signed up, and Neko-sensei is the guide.

Say when with time + に; use ごろ and ぐらい for approximations. Before heading out, check what day it is first!

Time words

• 今いま (ima): now
• なんじ (nanji): what time
• 1時いちじ (ichiji): 1 o'clock
• 4時よじ (yoji): 4 o'clock
• 7時しちじ (shichiji): 7 o'clock
• 9時くじ (kuji): 9 o'clock
• 半はん (han): half past (30 min)
• なんぷん (nanpun): how many minutes
• 午前ごぜん (gozen): a.m. (morning)
• 午後ごご (gogo): p.m. (afternoon)

Reading chart: hours and minutes

Tap to compare left and right. Can you hear the difference?

Grammar 1 / 4: Grammar 1

Clock time: 〜じ〜ふん/ぷん. ごぜん (a.m.) and ごご (p.m.) go in front.

• Hours and minutes: 〜じ〜ふん/ぷん: Hour = number + じ. Minute = number + ふん or ぷん. 7:15 = しちじ じゅうごふん. For half past, use はん: しちじはん.
• Watch out for 4, 7 and 9 o'clock: 4:00 よじ, 7:00 しちじ, 9:00 くじ. Minutes are different: 4 min よんぷん, 7 min ななふん, 9 min きゅうふん.
• a.m. / p.m. go first: ごぜん (a.m.) and ごご (p.m.) come before the time: ごご よじはん = 4:30 p.m.

• いま なんじですか。 — What time is it now?
• ごご よじはんです。 — It's 4:30 p.m.
• しちじ じゅうごふんです。 — It's 7:15.
• ごぜん くじ じゅっぷんです。 — It's 9:10 a.m.

Days of the week, today, tomorrow

• 月曜日げつようび (getsuyōbi): Monday
• 火曜日かようび (kayōbi): Tuesday
• 水曜日すいようび (suiyōbi): Wednesday
• 木曜日もくようび (mokuyōbi): Thursday
• 金曜日きんようび (kin'yōbi): Friday
• 土曜日どようび (doyōbi): Saturday
• 日曜日にちようび (nichiyōbi): Sunday
• なんようび (nan'yōbi): what day of the week
• 今日きょう (kyō): today
• あした (ashita): tomorrow
• なんがつ (nangatsu): what month
• なんにち (nannichi): what date (which day of the month)

Reading chart: dates

Tap to listen. Memorize the 1st–10th plus the 14th, 20th and 24th — the rest are regular.

Grammar 2 / 4: Grammar 2

Day of the week: 〜ようび. Month and date: 〜がつ〜にち.

• Day of the week: 〜ようび: げつ・か・すい・もく・きん・ど・にち + ようび. To ask the day: きょうは なんようびですか。
• Month and date: 〜がつ〜にち: Month = number + がつ. The 1st–10th, 14th, 20th and 24th have special readings; the rest are number + にち.
• Order: month → date → day: Big to small — the reverse of English: しがつ ここのか もくようび = Thursday, April 9.

• きょうは なんようびですか。 — What day is it today?
• すいようびです。 — It's Wednesday.
• あしたは なんがつ なんにちですか。 — What's the date tomorrow?
• しちがつ ようかです。 — July 8.

Daily words: get up, train, open

• 電車でんしゃ (densha): train
• 店みせ (mise): shop, store
• 起おきます (okimasu): get up, wake up
• 寝ねます (nemasu): sleep, go to bed
• 出でます (demasu): (a train) leaves, departs
• あきます (akimasu): (a shop) opens
• 待まちます (machimasu): wait
• かかります (kakarimasu): take (time)
• 休やすみ (yasumi): rest, day off, closed
• 毎日まいにち (mainichi): every day
• 1時間いちじかん (ichijikan): 1 hour
• なんじかん (nanjikan): how many hours (how long)

Grammar 3 / 4: Grammar 3

Point in time + に + verb: do something at a certain time.

• Point in time + に + verb: に marks the point in time when an action happens, like English "at". ろくじに おきます = I get up at 6.
• Asking: なんじに 〜ますか: Replace the time with なんじ: でんしゃは なんじに でますか。 In the answer, put the time back: くじに でます。
• Days and dates can take に too: Days and dates can also take に: もくようびに, ついたちに. (に after days of the week is often dropped. For now, just remember: clock times always take に.)
• These words take no に: いま, きょう, あした and まいにち are not exact clock times or dates, so they go in front with no に: あした ろくじに おきます。 いつ ("when") takes no に either: いつ でますか。

• ろくじに おきます。 — I get up at 6.
• わたしは じゅうにじに ねます。 — I go to bed at 12.
• でんしゃは なんじに でますか。 — What time does the train leave?
• しちじ じゅうごふんに でます。 — It leaves at 7:15.
• みせは じゅうじに あきます。 — The shop opens at 10.
• まいにち ろくじはんに おきます。 — I get up at 6:30 every day.

Grammar 4 / 4: Grammar 4

Around a clock time → 〜ごろ. About how long / how much → 〜ぐらい.

• 〜ごろ: around a clock time: Put it after a point in time: じゅうじごろ = around 10 o'clock. The に after it is optional: ろくじごろ（に）おきます. (In casual speech, ぐらい + に is also used with clock times, but as a beginner, use ごろ.)
• 〜ぐらい: about how long: Put it after a length of time: じゅっぷんぐらい (about 10 minutes), にじかんぐらい (about 2 hours).
• 〜ぐらい: about how much / how many: Prices, numbers of people and things use ぐらい too: せん円えんぐらい, ごにんぐらい, みっつぐらい.
• じ vs じかん: しちじ = 7 o'clock (point in time → ごろ); しちじかん = 7 hours (length → ぐらい). Only かん is different, but the meaning changes completely! (7 hours is also often ななじかん.)

• みせは じゅうじごろ あきます。 — The shop opens around 10.
• まいにち しちじごろ おきます。 — I get up around 7 every day.
• じゅっぷんぐらい まちます。 — I'll wait about 10 minutes.
• でんしゃは さんじゅっぷんぐらい かかります。 — The train takes about 30 minutes.
• まいにち はちじかんぐらい ねます。 — I sleep about 8 hours every day.
• コーヒーは ひゃくごじゅう円えんぐらいです。 — Coffee is about 150 yen.