Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 16
なんじですか？What time is it?
How to tell the time. You ask "Nanji desu ka?" and answer "…ji desu". Numbers use the Sino reading (ichi, ni, san…), but watch the readings: 4 o'clock = "yoji", 7 = "shichiji", 9 = "kuji". "Han" = 30 minutes (niji-han = 2:30). "Fun/pun" = minute. Put gozen (a.m.) or gogo (p.m.) in front. New words: ima, ji, fun, han, gozen, gogo, asa, hiru, ban, yoru. Script corner: the start of katakana (kōhī, menyū).
Dialogue
i
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よんじ？ よじ？— yonji? yoji?
- Yukiマイクさん、いまなんじですか？Mike, what time is it now?
- Mikeよんじです。It's four o'clock. (slip: 4 o'clock is read "yoji", not "yonji")
- Yuki４じは「よじ」です。よみかたにちゅうい。4 o'clock is "yoji". Watch the reading.
- Mikeあ、ごごよじですね。Ah, it's 4 p.m., right?
Dialogue
i
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あさ？ ごご？— Morning or Afternoon?
- Kenゆきさん、いまなんじですか？Yuki, what time is it now?
- Yukiごごにじじゅっぷんです。It's 2:10 p.m.
- Kenごごですか。あさじゃないですか？It's afternoon? Isn't it morning?
- Yukiあさじゃないです。いまごごです。It's not morning. It's afternoon now.
Vocabulary
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- いま
nounnow
- 〜じ
countero'clock, hour
- 〜ふん
counterminute
- はん
nounhalf (past)
- ごぜん
nouna.m., morning
- ごご
nounp.m., afternoon
- あさ
nounmorning
- ひる
nounnoon, daytime
- ばん
nounevening
- よる
nounnight
Grammar
i
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Telling time (ji, fun, han)
Explanation
You ask "Nanji desu ka?" (What time is it?). The answer is "number + ji + desu": ichiji, niji, sanji… But watch the readings: 4 = "yoji", 7 = "shichiji", 9 = "kuji" (NOT yonji, nanaji, kyūji). "Han" = 30 minutes: niji-han = 2:30. Minutes are "fun" or "pun": ippun, sanpun, gofun, juppun. Put gozen (a.m.) or gogo (p.m.) in front: gogo yoji. "…ni" = at (after the time): kuji ni. English speakers often wrongly say "yonji" for 4 o'clock.
Examples
- いま なんじですか？ — さんじです。What time is it now? — It's three o'clock.
- ごぜん くじ はんです。It's 9:30 a.m.
- ごご よじです。It's 4 p.m. (yoji!)
- じゅぎょうは ごぜん くじです。The class is at nine a.m.
Kana
i
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カタカナの はじまり— The Start of Katakana
Read the katakana aloud:
- コーヒーkōhīcoffee — long "ō" and "ī" with ー
- メニューmenyūmenu — "nyu" + long ū
- レストランresutoranrestaurant — five clear beats
- テレビterebiTV (television)
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