時間
jikan[d͡ʑikã̠ɴ]
The English phrase 'hours' is translated into Japanese as 時間 (jikan).
To specify the time of day, you can add gozen (午前) for a.m. or gogo (午後) for p.m. In Japanese, you can also continue counting hours beyond 12, such as using juu-san ji (十三時) for 13 o'clock. To say 'around' a certain time, you can use the phrase san-ji goro (三時ごろ) for 'around 3 o'clock.'
What does it mean word for word?
The word 時間 is composed of 時, meaning time or hour and 間, meaning interval or space.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, the word 時間 does not change its form to indicate plurality. The number of hours is indicated by the preceding number.
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese timekeeping before the Meiji era, hours were not of a fixed length but varied according to the seasons.
- The word 時間 was repurposed during the Meiji period specifically to translate the Western philosophical concept of 'time' in an 1881 dictionary.
- While 時間 describes a duration, the word 時 alone is used to denote a specific point on a clock, such as '3 o'clock'.
Examples in context
- ３時間待った。We waited for three hours.This sentence is useful for expressing how long you waited using 時間.Tatoeba #8002489 by Ninja, translation #7995593 by CK
- 9時間経った。It's been nine hours.This sentence is useful for expressing a duration of nine hours using 時間.Tatoeba #11875914 by small_snow, translation #11327444 by ddnktr
- 8時間経った。It's been eight hours.This sentence is useful for expressing a duration of eight hours using 時間.Tatoeba #12703166 by small_snow, translation #12086480 by ddnktr
- gozen shichi-ji (午前七時)7 a.m.
- gogo san-ji (午後三時)3 p.m.
- gozen ju-ji (午前十時)10 o'clock a.m.
- gogo roku-ji (午後六時)6 o'clock p.m.
- gozen juu-ji juu-go fun (午前十時十五分)10:15 a.m.
- 313 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are talking about their work schedules.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんは、一日何時間働きますか。Yota-san wa, ichinichi nan-jikan hatarakimasu ka.Yota, how many hours do you work a day?
- 陽太 Yotaだいたい８時間くらいです。Daitai hachi-jikan kurai desu.About eight hours, usually.
- 結衣 Yuiそれはいいですね。私はもっと長いです。Sore wa ii desu ne. Watashi wa motto nagai desu.That's nice. Mine is longer.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さんは何時間働いているんですか。Yui-san wa nan-jikan hataraite iru n desu ka.How many hours are you working, Yui?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 時間, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 時間, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
