Jikan meaning and how it’s different from Toki, explained in detail

How to say time in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “jikan”. It is the Japanese word for ‘time’. In this blog post, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how it’s different from the similar word, “toki”. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of jikan
• Kanji characters used in jikan
• Definition and meaning of toki
• Example #1: how to use toki
• Example #1′: when not to use jikan
• Example #2: Jikan ga aru
• Example #3: Jikan ga ari masu ka
• Example #4: Jikan ga nai
• Summary

Definition and meaning of jikan

First of all, let me start with a definition and meaning of “jikan”.

• jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’. Normally, it is used to express a certain period of time. Depending on context and other words used together, however, it could also express a certain point in time.

To understand it a bit more, let me explain its kanji characters in detail.

Kanji characters used in jikan

Below are the kanji characters used in jikan.

• 時 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to time. When it is put after a numeral, it can mean ‘hour’ or ‘hours’. It can also be found in the word, “jidai“.
• 間 : a kanji character used to express a certain range or space between two things.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “jikan” literally expresses a certain period between two points in time. This is the basic concept formed by its kanji. Actually, Japanese native speakers quite often use it to express a certain period of time. In this regard, “jikan” is very different from “toki”.

Then, let me explain the similar word, “toki”.

Definition and meaning of toki

Below are a definition and meaning of “toki”.

• toki – 時 (とき) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in general. When it is put after a phrase, it can work to make an adverb phrase. In this regard, its role is quite similar to that of the English conjunction, “when”. It focuses more on a certain point in time than on a period of time.

When it is used alone, in other words, when it is NOT used to make an adverb phrase, it means ‘time’ in a very broad sense. It can mean a very, very long time – longer than our lives. So, normally, Japanese people don’t use it to express a certain period of time. In daily conversation, they use it mainly to make an adverb phrase in a sentence. To understand this usage more, please take at the example below.

Example #1: how to use toki

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’. It can also be used as the plural noun. Learn more about Japanese singular and plural.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word. In the example, it is put after the noun, “ie”, to make the object word in the seance. It indicates the particular place from which “you” leaves. It’s written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• 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 ‘television’. This is an Japanese English word. It originally comes from the pronunciation of the English word, television.
• keshite – 消して (けして) : a te form of the verb, “kesu”, meaning ‘to turn off’, ‘to delete’, ‘to erase’ or some such in Japanese. It has been changed to its te form for a better connection with its following word.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : a command form of a verb, “kudasaru”, which corresponds well to “please”.

This is a typical usage of “toki”. In the example, it is put at the end of the phrase, “ie wo deru”, to make the adverb phrase. As the translation shows, the Japanese phrase, “ie wo deru toki”, corresponds very, very well to the English one, “when you leave home”. The usage of “toki” here is quite similar to that of “when”. So, its usage is relatively easy to understand, I think. Yet, we need to be careful with the difference in word orders. While “when” is put at the beginning of phrase, “toki” needs to be put at the end.

If the sentence above is paraphrased with “jikan”, it would sound very weird. Please take a look at the example below.

Example #1′: when not to use jikan

It sounds weird. Japanese people do not use “jikan” like this. Its translation could be like “at the time you leave home, please turn off the TV”. It sounds too specific and unnatural. When we need to make an adverb phrase related to time, we should use “toki” rather than “jikan”.

Then, let me explain how to use “jikan” properly.

Example #2: Jikan ga aru

Below are new words used in the example.

• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’. Learn more about “ashita”.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the noun, “ashita”, to give a topic.
• ga – が : a case particle put after a noun to make the subject word or the object word. In the example, it is put after the noun, “jikan”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• aru – ある : a verb meaning ‘to be’ or ‘to exist’ in Japanese. It is also often translated as ‘to have’. In the example, it is used to mean that “I” have time tomorrow.

This is one of the most widely used expressions of “jikan”.

The Japanese phrase, “jikan ga aru”, can be directly translated as “there is time”. In reality, however, it is often translated as “to have time” as shown in the example above. Here, it’s used to mean a certain period of time in a day. For this usage, “jikan” is much, much better than “toki”. Again, but when “toki” is used alone, it means time in a very broad sense. So, it doesn’t fit with this context. We cannot say “toki ga aru” instead of this expression.

The next one is an interrogative form of this expression.

Example #3: Jikan ga ari masu ka

Below are the new words used in the example.

• ari – あり : a conjugation of the verb, “aru”, meaning ‘to exist’, ‘to be’ or ‘to have’. 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. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese masu form.
• ka – か : a sentence ending particle put at the end of sentence to make a question. In the example, it is put at the end of the sentence to change it to a question.

This is a question to ask “do you have time” in Japanese. This phrase is also widely used in daily conversation. It’s worth knowing.

Example #4: Jikan ga nai

The next one is a negative expression.

Here is one new word.

• nai – ない : an i-adjective used to deny existence of things. It is an adjective in Japanese, but often translated as ‘not to exist’. In the example, it corresponds to “not to have”. Learn more about “nai”.

When we want to say “not to have time” in Japanese, this expression would be the best choice.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “jikan” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained the similar word, “toki”. Let me summarize them as follows.

• jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’. Normally, it is used to express a certain period of time. Depending on context and other words used together, however, it could also express a certain point in time.
• toki – 時 (とき) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in general. When it is put after a phrase, it can work to make an adverb phrase in a sentence. In this regard, its role is quite similar to that of the English conjunction, “when”. It focuses more on a certain point in time than on a period of time.

For the related expressions, please refer to my explanations above. Hope those are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.