Japanese Time Kanji: Hours, Days, Months & Years
Master Japanese time kanji: 時 (ji), 分 (fun), 日 (nichi), 月 (tsuki), 年 (toshi), and the days of the week. Each entry includes the kanji character, hiragana reading, romaji pronunciation, and example sentences so you can talk about time naturally in Japanese.
Japanese Time Kanji at a Glance
🕐 Essential for Daily Life
Time vocabulary is unavoidable in Japanese. Whether reading a schedule, catching a train, or making plans, you will encounter 時, 分, 日, 月, and 年 every single day.
📅 Days & Weekdays Use Kanji
The Japanese days of the week are built from elemental kanji: 月 (moon/Monday), 火 (fire/Tuesday), 水 (water/Wednesday), 木 (wood/Thursday), 金 (gold/Friday), 土 (earth/Saturday), 日 (sun/Sunday).
✅ JLPT N5 Coverage
All core time kanji (時, 分, 日, 月, 年, 曜) appear on the JLPT N5 exam. Mastering them is an essential step toward passing Japan's most popular proficiency test.
Core Japanese Time Kanji
These are the fundamental kanji used to express time units in Japanese, from seconds to years.
| Meaning | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | On'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour / Time | 時 | じ / とき | ji / toki | 時(ji/shi) |
| Minute / Part | 分 | ふん / ぶん | fun / bun | 分(fun/bun) |
| Second | 秒 | びょう | byō | 秒(byō) |
| Day / Sun | 日 | にち / ひ | nichi / hi | 日(nichi/jitsu) |
| Week | 週 | しゅう | shū | 週(shū) |
| Month / Moon | 月 | つき / がつ | tsuki / gatsu | 月(getsu/gatsu) |
| Year | 年 | ねん / とし | nen / toshi | 年(nen) |
| Day of Week | 曜 | よう | yō | 曜(yō) |
Japanese Time Kanji: Detailed Cards
Each kanji with its reading, on'yomi usage notes, and an example sentence from everyday Japanese.
Example:
今何時ですか？
Ima nanji desu ka?
What time is it now?
Example:
電車は五分後に来ます。
Densha wa gofun go ni kimasu.
The train comes in five minutes.
Example:
十秒待ってください。
Jū-byō matte kudasai.
Please wait ten seconds.
Example:
今日は何日ですか？
Kyō wa nan-nichi desu ka?
What date is today?
Example:
来週の月曜日に会いましょう。
Raishū no getsuyōbi ni aimashō.
Let's meet next Monday.
Example:
来月から日本語を勉強します。
Raigetsu kara nihongo o benkyō shimasu.
I will study Japanese starting next month.
Example:
今年は何年ですか？
Kotoshi wa nan-nen desu ka?
What year is it this year?
Example:
今日は何曜日ですか？
Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka?
What day of the week is today?
Days of the Week in Japanese Kanji
Japanese weekdays use 曜日 (yōbi, day of the week) combined with an elemental kanji. Each day is named after a celestial body or natural element, a poetic system borrowed from Chinese astrology.
| Day | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Element / Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 月曜日 | げつようび | getsuyōbi | 月 (tsuki): Moon |
| Tuesday | 火曜日 | かようび | kayōbi | 火 (hi): Fire |
| Wednesday | 水曜日 | すいようび | suiyōbi | 水 (mizu): Water |
| Thursday | 木曜日 | もくようび | mokuyōbi | 木 (ki): Wood/Tree |
| Friday | 金曜日 | きんようび | kin'yōbi | 金 (kin): Gold/Metal |
| Saturday | 土曜日 | どようび | doyōbi | 土 (tsuchi): Earth/Soil |
| Sunday | 日曜日 | にちようび | nichiyōbi | 日 (hi): Sun |
Tip: The pattern is [element]曜日 (yōbi). For example, 月曜日 (getsuyōbi) = Monday, literally "moon-day."
Time Kanji Compound Words
Common Time Vocabulary
Japanese time kanji combine to form essential everyday vocabulary. Many of these words appear on the JLPT N5 exam and in daily conversations.
| Compound | Reading | Root Kanji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう (kyō) | 日 | Today |
| 明日 | あした (ashita) | 日 | Tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう (kinō) | 日 | Yesterday |
| 今週 | こんしゅう (konshū) | 週 | This week |
| 来週 | らいしゅう (raishū) | 週 | Next week |
| 先週 | せんしゅう (senshū) | 週 | Last week |
| 今月 | こんげつ (kongetsu) | 月 | This month |
| 来月 | らいげつ (raigetsu) | 月 | Next month |
| 今年 | ことし (kotoshi) | 年 | This year |
| 来年 | らいねん (rainen) | 年 | Next year |
| 毎日 | まいにち (mainichi) | 日 | Every day |
| 時間 | じかん (jikan) | 時 | Time / hour (duration) |
Tips for Learning Japanese Time Kanji
🌙 Learn the 7 Elements First
The weekday kanji (月火水木金土日) are also everyday kanji for moon, fire, water, tree, gold, earth, and sun. Learning these 7 characters gives you both the days of the week and 7 high-frequency standalone kanji.
🕐 Practice Telling Time
Use 時 and 分 together right away: 三時 (sanji, 3 o'clock), 三時十五分 (sanji jūgo-fun, 3:15). Combining kanji in real contexts is the fastest way to make them stick.
📅 Read a Japanese Calendar
Find a Japanese calendar online and read the weekday headers in kanji. Seeing 月火水木金土日 in a real calendar grid makes the days feel natural and memorable within days.
🃏 Use Fuji Learning Cards
Practice time kanji with our card collection system. Earn XP for correct answers, level up, and track your mastery of 時, 分, 日, 月, and 年 in your personal Jisho.
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