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21. What Time Is It?

0:00 --:--
すみません
Excuse me
今なん時ですか
What time is it now
三時十分です
It's 3:10
ありがとうございます
Thank you so much
五時半に友達に会います
I'm meeting a friend at 5:30
ごはんを食べます
We're going to eat
そうですか
I see
どこに行きますか
Where are you going
ここにいいお店があります
There's a good place right here
なん分かかりますか
How many minutes does it take
十分かかります
It takes ten minutes
五時半ですね
It's 5:30 right
いいですね
That's great
午前はなん時に起きますか
What time do you wake up in the morning
六時に起きます
I wake up at six
忙しいですか
Are you busy
ええ、仕事をします
Yeah I work
それから勉強もします
Then I study too
へー
Whoa
午後も忙しいですか
Is the afternoon busy too
いいえ、午後は休みます
No I rest in the afternoon
夕方に帰ります
I go home in the evening
ごはんを作ります
I make dinner
九時半に寝ます
I go to bed at 9:30
おやすみなさい
Good night
今は元気ですか
Are you doing well now
ちょっと疲れました
I'm a little tired
大丈夫ですか
Are you okay
水を飲みますか
Want some water

Cultural Notes

Japan runs on the clock

Punctuality is deeply valued in Japan. Trains are famously on time to the minute, and showing up even a few minutes late to work or school is considered rude. When someone asks you what time it is, giving a precise answer matters.

The 12-hour clock with 午前 and 午後

Japanese uses 午前 (a.m.) and 午後 (p.m.) just like English, and they go BEFORE the time: 午前九時 (9 a.m.), not 九時午前. In casual conversation, people often drop 午前/午後 when the time of day is obvious from context.

夕方 — the in-between time

夕方 roughly covers 4-6 p.m., the transition from afternoon to evening. It is when こんにちは shifts to こんばんは. There is no exact English equivalent — "late afternoon" and "early evening" are both close but neither is a perfect match.