Time in Japanese: “jikan” vs. “toki”, explained

What do “jikan” and “toki” mean in Japanese?

Both “jikan” and “toki” mean ‘time’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, use them differently. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain these two words in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “jikan” and “toki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “jikan”
• Jikan in kanji
  • Example #1: how to use “jikan”
• Definition and meaning of “toki”
  • Example #2: how to say “time” in a broad sense
• The most important role of “toki”
  • Example #3: how to use “toki” to make a clause
• Summary: “jikan” vs. “toki”

Definition and meaning of “jikan”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “jikan”.

• jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese. When this follows a numeral, this can work as a counter for hours.

Native speakers normally use this noun to refer to a certain period of time in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, however, this can also refer to a certain point in time. So, this noun can work in a similar way that the English noun, “time”, does.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Jikan in kanji

The kanji expression of “jikan” consists of the following two characters:

• 時 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘time’ in Japanese.
• 間 : a kanji character used to refer to a certain distance between two things.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “jikan” literally means a ‘certain distance between two points in time’. This is the very basic concept of this noun. Japanese native speakers, therefore, tend to use it to refer to a certain period of time.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “jikan” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “jikan” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to use “jikan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “boku” to put a focus on it.
• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “tomorrow” in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “jikan” to make the subject in the sentence.
• aru – ある : a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, ‘to have’, or such in Japanese. This normally works to express the existence of inanimate things in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “jikan”. In this example, it works as a part of the widely-used expression, “jikan ga aru”, which means ‘to have time’ in Japanese. When we want to say “time” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Definition and meaning of “toki”

Next, let me explain the definition and meaning of “toki” as follows.

• toki – 時 (とき) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese.

As explained above, this kanji character means ‘time’. So, “toki” literally means ‘time’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, rarely use this noun alone as it means ‘time’ in a very broad sense. Of course, it is useful, for example, when we want to refer to ‘time’ compared with ‘space’. Unfortunately, we do not talk about this topic that often in daily conversations, though.

Then, let me explain how to use “toki” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “time” in a broad sense

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns or noun equivalent words. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, the first “no” is used to join “toki” and “nagare”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the flow of time’ in Japanese. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this case particle is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”.
• nagare – 流れ (ながれ) : a noun meaning ‘flow’ in Japanese.
• no – の : the same as explained above. The second “no” is used to join “toki no nagare” and “naka”. The formed phrase literally means ‘the inside of the flow of time’.
• naka – 中 (なか) : a noun meaning ‘inside’ or such in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something is. In the example, this is used after “toki no nagare no naka” to say where the speakers are.
• iru – いる : a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘to present’, or such in Japanese. This normally works to express the existence of living things.

This is a typical usage of “toki”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “toki no nagare”, which means ‘the flow of time’ in Japanese. When we want to say “time” in a very broad sense in Japanese, this noun is a good option.

The most important role of “toki”

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “jikan” and “toki” as well as their usages through the example sentences. Lastly, let me explain the most important role of “toki”. As I explained already, native speakers rarely use it alone. They, however, quite often use it to make a clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘when’, ‘time’, or ‘moment’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use “toki” to make a clause

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘home’ or ‘house’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “ie” to make the object word in the clause.
• deru – 出る (でる) : a verb meaning ‘to leave’ or ‘to get out’ in Japanese.
• terebi – テレビ (てれび) : a noun meaning ‘TV’ in Japanese. This word originally came from the pronunciation of “television”.
• wo – を : the same as explained above. The second “wo” in the example is used after “terebi” to make the object word in the second half of the sentence.
• keshi – 消し (けし) : one conjugation of the verb, “kesu”, which means ‘to delete’, ‘to turn off’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “keshi” to make its te form, “keshi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of this type of “toki”. In this example, it works after “ie wo deru” to make the clause which means ‘when you leave home’ in Japanese. Basically, a word before “toki” doesn’t have to be conjugated. All we have to do to make a clause is, therefore, add “toki” at the end of a sentence. In English, “when” precedes a short sentence to make a clause; in Japanese, “toki” follows a short sentence. So, word orders are different. Still, their roles are quite similar. When we want to make a clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘when’, ‘time’, or ‘moment’, “toki” is a very good option.

Summary: “jikan” vs. “toki”

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “jikan” and “toki” in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese. When this follows a numeral, this can work as a counter for hours. Native speakers normally use this to refer to a certain period of time in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, however, this can also refer to a certain point in time. So, this noun can work in a similar way that the English noun, “time”, does. These two kanji characters literally mean a ‘certain distance between two points in time’.
• toki – 時 (とき) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese. This means ‘time’ in a very broad sense, so is not suitable for daily conversations. Native speakers mainly use this to make a clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘when’, ‘time’, or ‘moment’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.