Japanese kanji 時: time, hours and occasions

The idea

時 has 10 strokes; follow their order in the linked diagram. Read 九時（くじ） and 時（とき） as complete words, because a character’s pronunciation depends on the word.

Examples

• 店みせは九時くじに開あきます。The shop opens at nine.
• 時計とけいは机つくえの上うえです。The clock is on the desk.
• 時間じかんがもうありません。There is no time left.
• 子こどもの時とき、日本にほんに住すんでいました。I lived in Japan when I was a child.
• 時々ときどき友達ともだちと映画えいがを見みます。I sometimes watch films with friends.
• 今いまは四時よじです。It is 4 o’clock now.

Watch out

時 is じ in 九時（くじ）, but とき when it means an occasion. 時計 is read とけい; 時間 is a span of time. Compare the shape of 時 with 持.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 九時 in hiragana. 「店みせは九時に開あきます。」

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   くじ

   九時 is read くじ. In the example: The shop opens at nine. Here it means “nine o’clock”.

2. Write the reading of 時 in hiragana. 「子こどもの時、日本にほんに住すんでいました。」

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   とき

   時 is read とき. In the example: I lived in Japan when I was a child. Here it means “when”.

3. Write the missing kanji: 九＿［時／持］（くじ）.

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   時

   時 completes 九時, read くじ. In the example: The shop opens at nine. Here it means “nine o’clock”.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 時 from memory and read 九時 and 時 aloud. Then check the readings against the examples.