Itsu meaning and its related expressions, explained in detail

How to say “when” in Japanese

Japanese people would say, “itsu”. It’s the Japanese word for ‘when’ and used to make an adverb phrase in a sentence. In this blog post, I will explain itsu meaning in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its related expressions through the examples. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “itsu”
• Kanji characters used in “itsu”
• Example: how to use “itsu”
• Itsu demo
  • Example of itsu demo
• Itsu kara
  • Example of itsu kara
• Itsu made
  • Example of itsu made
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “itsu”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “itsu”.

• itsu – 何時 (いつ) : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘when’ in Japanese. It’s quite often used to make an adverb phrase in a sentence. In this regard, its usage is similar to that of “when” in English.

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. To understand it a bit more, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail.

Kanji characters used in “itsu”

Below are the ones.

• 何 : a kanji character widely used as an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘what’. It can also be found in words like “doko“.
• 時 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘moment’, ‘time’ or ‘era’ in Japanese. When it’s put after a numeral, it can mean ‘hour(s)’. It can also be found in words like “jikan” and “jidai“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the word, “itsu”, literally means ‘what time’ in Japanese. This concept formed by its kanji seems to be more or less in line with its meaning.

I’ve explained the kanji used in “itsu”. In reality, however, Japanese people quite often use its hiragana expression because there is a heteronym pronounced “nanji” which exactly means ‘what time’ in Japanese.

Then, let me explain how Japanese people use “itsu”. Please take a look at the example below.

Example: how to use “itsu”

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• Kyoto – 京都 (きょうと) : a noun which is a name of one of the most famous Japanese cities.
• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place which someone or something goes to. In the example sentence, it’s put after the noun, “Kyoto”, to indicate the particular place which “you” will go to.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one of conjugations of a verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Perhaps, it’s well known for a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it’s put after the conjugated verb, “iki”, to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence ending particle put at the end of a sentence to make a question. In the example, it’s put at the end of the sentence to change it to a question.

This is a typical usage of “itsu”. As the example shows, its usage is quite similar to that of “when” in English. Yet we need to be careful with the fact that it can be put almost anywhere in a sentence since the Japanese language does not have a strict rule on the word order.

In the next paragraphs, I will explain how to use it with particles.

Itsu demo

First, let me start with the particle, “demo”.

• demo – でも : a binding particle. When it’s put after an indefinite pronoun, they form a phrase. Depending on the indefinite pronoun, it can mean ‘whoever’, ‘whatever’, ‘whenever’, ‘wherever’ or some such. Learn more about “demo”.

As already explained above, “itsu” is an indefinite demonstrative pronoun and corresponds well to the English word, “when”. So, it can form a phrase together with “demo”. The formed phrase, “itsu demo”, means ‘whenever’ in Japanese. Below is an example.

Example of itsu demo

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• ki – 来 (き) : one conjugation of the verb, “kuru”, which means ‘to come’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make its desire form. Perhaps, it’s well known for a part of Japanese tai form. In the example, it’s put after the conjugated verb, “ki”, to make its tai form, “ki tai”, which means ‘to want to come’ in Japanese.
• toki – 時 (とき) : a noun meaning ‘moment’, ‘time’ or ‘when’. In the example sentence, the phrase, “itsu demo”, meaning ‘whenever’ in Japanese is already used. Yet, “toki” is necessary to make a noun phrase in the Japanese sentence.
• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular time when something happens. In the example, it’s put after the noun, “toki”, to indicate the particular time when “you” wants to come.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, it’s used to join the conjugated verb, “ki”, and its following word, “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : a command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or ‘to pass’ in Japanese. It is a verb, but can also be used like an auxiliary verb after a te formed verb to make its polite command form. Actually, in the example, it directly follows the te formed verb, “ki te”, and makes its polite command form.

This is a typical usage of the phrase, “itsu demo”. It would help us a lot to make ‘whenever’ expressions in Japanese.

Itsu kara

Second, I will explain how to use “itsu” together with the particle, “kara”.

• kara – から : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a start. Depending on the noun used together with it, a start can be a place, time, person or perhaps reason.

“Itsu” and “kara” can form the phrase, “itsu kara”, which means ‘from when’ in Japanese. For a better understanding, please take a look at the example below.

Example of itsu kara

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place where someone or something is. In the example, it’s put after the noun, “kyoto”, to indicate the particular place where “you” has been.
• i – 居 (い) : one conjugation of the verb, “iru“, which means ‘to be’, ‘to stay’ or ‘to exist’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.

As this example shows, the phrase, “itsu kara”, corresponds well to the English one, “from when”. This phrase helps us a lot to make ‘from when’ questions in Japanese.

Itsu made

Third and finally, I will explain how to use “itsu” together with the particle, “made”.

• made – まで : an adverbial particle put after a noun to indicate the end of a range. Depending on the noun used together with it, the end of a range would be a place, time or person.

“Itsu” and “made” can form the phrase, “itsu made”, which means ‘by when’ or ‘until when’ in Japanese. The border between “by” and “until” is a bit ambiguous in the Japanese language. So, “itsu made” can corresponds to the both English expressions. Below is the example sentence using “itsu made”.

Example of itsu made

This is a typical usage of the phrase, “itsu made”. As the example shows, it works in more or less the same way as the English phrase, “until when”, does. When we want to make “until when” or “by when” expressions in Japanese, we can use it. Actually, Japanese people often use it to check the deadline of work, for instance.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “itsu” meaning in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its related expressions which Japanese people often use. Let me summarize them as follows.

• itsu – 何時 (いつ) : an indefinite demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘when’. It’s often written in hiragana since there is a heteronym pronounced “nanji”, meaning ‘what time’.
• itsu demo – いつでも : a phrase meaning ‘whenever’ in Japanese. It helps us a lot to make “whenever” expressions in Japanese.
• itsu kara – いつから : a phrase meaning “from when” in Japanese.
• itsu made – いつまで : a phrase meaning “by when” or “until when” in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.