Vocabulary
Places
学校[がっこう]⓪ School, noun
- 学校は8時に始まります。
- Gakkō wa 8-ji ni hajimarimasu.
- School starts at 8 o'clock.
お宅[たく]⓪ Your home, noun
- お宅に伺います。
- O-taku ni ukagaimasu.
- I will visit your home.
Other Nouns
休み[やすみ]⓪ Rest, noun
- 明日は休みです。
- Ashita wa yasumi desu.
- Tomorrow is a day off.
パーティー① Party, noun
- 今週末にパーティーがあります。
- Konshūmatsu ni pātī ga arimasu.
- There is a party this weekend.
Verbs
休みます④ To rest (休む【dictionary form】), verb
- 今日は休みます。
- Kyō wa yasumimasu.
- I will rest today.
働きます⑤ To work (働く), verb
- 毎日働きます。
- Mainichi hatarakimasu.
- I work every day.
始まります⑤ To start (始まる), verb
- 授業は9時に始まります。
- Jugyō wa 9-ji ni hajimarimasu.
- Class starts at 9 o'clock.
終わります④ To end (終わる), verb
- 会議は5時に終わります。
- Kaigi wa 5-ji ni owarimasu.
- The meeting ends at 5 o'clock.
起きます③ To wake up; to not sleep yet (起きる), verb
- 毎朝6時に起きます。
- Maiasa 6-ji ni okimasu.
- I wake up at 6 every morning.
寝ます② To sleep (寝る), verb
- 夜11時に寝ます。
- Yoru 11-ji ni nemasu.
- I sleep at 11 p.m.
Verbal Nouns (＋します to become verbs)
試験[しけん]② Exam, noun
- 来週試験があります。
- Raishū shiken ga arimasu.
- There is an exam next week.
勉強[べんきょう]⓪ Study, noun
- 毎日勉強します。
- Mainichi benkyō shimasu.
- I study every day.
仕事[しごと]⓪ Work, noun
- 仕事は9時からです。
- Shigoto wa 9-ji kara desu.
- Work starts at 9 o'clock.
出張[しゅっちょう]⓪ Business trip, noun
- 来月出張します。
- Raigetsu shutchō shimasu.
- I will go on a business trip next month.
遅刻[ちこく]⓪ Being late, noun
- 遅刻しないでください。
- Chikoku shinaide kudasai.
- Please don't be late.
旅行[りょこう]⓪ Travel, noun
- 夏休みに旅行します。
- Natsuyasumi ni ryokō shimasu.
- I will travel during summer vacation.
Other Related Words
いつ① When, interrogative
- いつ来ますか。
- Itsu kimasu ka.
- When will you come?
いつも① Always, usually, adverb
- いつも7時に起きます。
- Itsumo 7-ji ni okimasu.
- I always wake up at 7 o'clock.
Time Nouns
午前[ごぜん]① Morning (0:00-12:00), noun
- 午前中に会議があります。
- Gozenchū ni kaigi ga arimasu.
- There is a meeting in the morning.
午後[ごご]① Afternoon (13:00-23:59), noun
- 午後は自由時間です。
- Gogo wa jiyū jikan desu.
- Afternoon is free time.
| Time | Japanese Expression |
|---|---|
| 1 o'clock | いちじ |
| 2 o'clock | にじ |
| 3 o'clock | さんじ |
| 4 o'clock | よじ |
| 5 o'clock | ごじ |
| 6 o'clock | ろくじ |
| 7 o'clock | しちじ |
| 8 o'clock | はちじ |
| 9 o'clock | くじ |
| 10 o'clock | じゅうじ |
| 11 o'clock | じゅういちじ |
| 12 o'clock | じゅうにじ |
| 7:30 | しちじはん |
何時[なんじ] What time, interrogative
- 今、何時ですか。
- Ima, nan-ji desu ka.
- What time is it now?
| Minutes | Japanese Expression |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | いっぷん |
| 2 minutes | にふん |
| 3 minutes | さんぷん |
| 4 minutes | よんぷん |
| 5 minutes | ごふん |
| 6 minutes | ろっぷん |
| 7 minutes | ななふん |
| 8 minutes | はっぷん |
| 9 minutes | きゅうふん |
| 10 minutes | じゅっぷん |
| 11 minutes | じゅういっぷん |
| 15 minutes | じゅうごふん |
| 30 minutes | さんじゅっぷん/半[はん] |
何分[なんぷん] How many minutes, interrogative
- 今、何分ですか。
- Ima, nan-pun desu ka.
- How many minutes is it now?
今、何時[なんじ]（何分[なんぷん]）ですか。 What time (and minutes) is it now?
| Day of the Week | Japanese Expression |
|---|---|
| Monday | 月曜日[げつようび] |
| Tuesday | 火曜日[かようび] |
| Wednesday | 水曜日[すいようび] |
| Thursday | 木曜日[もくようび] |
| Friday | 金曜日[きんようび] |
| Saturday | 土曜日[どようび] |
| Sunday | 日曜日[にちようび] |
何曜日[なんようび] What day of the week, interrogative
- 今日は何曜日ですか。
- Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
- What day of the week is it today?
いつ（when）＝何曜日、何時、何分 etc.
Grammar Points
1. Verb Tenses
In Japanese, verb tenses are divided into non-past and past tenses, used to describe actions in the present or future, and actions in the past, respectively. Below are the basic forms of verb tenses:
| Tense | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Non-past | ～ます | ～ません |
| Past | ～ました | ～ませんでした |
Examples:
- Non-past: 毎日勉強します。
- Mainichi benkyō shimasu.
- I study every day.
- Non-past negative: 今日は勉強しません。
- Kyō wa benkyō shimasen.
- I won't study today.
- Past: 昨日勉強しました。
- Kinō benkyō shimashita.
- I studied yesterday.
- Past negative: 昨日は勉強しませんでした。
- Kinō wa benkyō shimasen deshita.
- I didn't study yesterday.
→ The non-past tense is used to describe present or future actions, while the past tense is used for actions that have already occurred.
2. “に” Indicates Specific Time Points
“に” is used to indicate specific time points when an action occurs, often used with specific time words. Below are the rules for using “に”:
- Must be used with specific numbers: 2014年に、９時３分に、六月に
- Optional with days of the week: 水曜日（に）
- Must be used with fixed-date holidays: 子供の日に、元旦に
Examples:
- 田中さんは9時に起きます。
- Tanaka-san wa 9-ji ni okimasu.
- Mr. Tanaka wakes up at 9 o'clock.
- 会議は月曜日にあります。
- Kaigi wa getsuyōbi ni arimasu.
- The meeting is on Monday.
→ Note: “に” must be used with specific time points, while its use with days of the week and holidays depends on the context.
3. ～から～まで Indicates Time Periods
“～から～まで” is used to indicate the start and end of a time period, similar to "from…to…" in English. Below is its usage:
- から (start of time) “from~”
- まで (end of time) “until~”
Examples:
- 郵便局は9時から5時までです。
- Yūbinkyoku wa 9-ji kara 5-ji made desu.
- The post office is open from 9 to 5.
- 休みは月曜日から金曜日までです。
- Yasumi wa getsuyōbi kara kinyōbi made desu.
- The break is from Monday to Friday.
→ “から” and “まで” can be used individually or together to indicate a complete time period.
4. いつもは~ごろです
“いつもは~ごろです” is used to describe the usual time something happens, with the meaning of "around" or "approximately." Below is its usage:
- いつもは emphasizes the usual time
- ごろ indicates an approximate time
Examples:
- いつもは七時ごろです。
- Itsumo wa shichi-ji goro desu.
- It's usually around 7 o'clock.
- いつもは11時ごろ寝ます。
- Itsumo wa 11-ji goro nemasu.
- I usually sleep around 11 o'clock.
→ “ごろ” is used to indicate approximate time, often paired with “いつも” to describe habitual times.
Dialogue Practice
Basic
A: 森さんは何時に起きますか。
A: Mori-san wa nan-ji ni okimasu ka.
A: What time does Mr. Mori wake up?
B: 森さんは7時に起きます。
B: Mori-san wa 7-ji ni okimasu.
B: Mr. Mori wakes up at 7 o'clock.
A: 休みはいつからいつまでですか。
A: Yasumi wa itsu kara itsu made desu ka.
A: When does the break start and end?
B: 休みは月曜日から金曜日までです。
B: Yasumi wa getsuyōbi kara kinyōbi made desu.
B: The break is from Monday to Friday.
Workplace
A: 会議は何時からですか。
A: Kaigi wa nan-ji kara desu ka.
A: What time does the meeting start?
B: 会議は10時からです。
B: Kaigi wa 10-ji kara desu.
B: The meeting starts at 10 o'clock.
A: 何時に終わりますか。
A: Nan-ji ni owarimasu ka.
A: What time does it end?
B: 12時に終わります。
B: 12-ji ni owarimasu.
B: It ends at 12 o'clock.
Daily Life
A: いつも何時に寝ますか。
A: Itsumo nan-ji ni nemasu ka.
A: What time do you usually sleep?
B: いつも11時ごろ寝ます。
B: Itsumo 11-ji goro nemasu.
B: I usually sleep around 11 o'clock.
Cultural Knowledge
Time Consciousness
Punctuality Culture: Japanese people highly value punctuality, and being late is considered impolite.
Working Hours: Japanese working hours typically run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but overtime culture is common.
Holidays
Golden Week: Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク) is one of the most important holidays in Japan, usually from late April to early May.
New Year's Day: New Year's Day (元旦[がんたん]) is one of Japan's most significant holidays, and people often visit shrines.
Summary and Key Points
This lesson focused on time expressions and verb tenses, including non-past and past tenses (～ます、～ました、～ません、～ませんでした). We learned how to use “に” to indicate specific time points and how to describe when actions occur. Additionally, we studied “～から～まで” for time periods and “ごろ” for approximate times. Through dialogue practice, we became familiar with time expressions in daily life and workplace scenarios.