Nanji desu ka is the Japanese phrase for ‘what time is it?’

What does “nanji desu ka” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “nanji desu ka” to ask the time in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners ask the time in Japanese more confidently. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka”
• What does “nanji desu ka” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “what time is it now?” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “nanji desu ka”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka”.

• nanji desu ka – 何時ですか (なんじですか) : a phrase meaning ‘what time is it?’ in Japanese

Again, but native speakers use this phrase to ask the time in Japanese. So, its usage is very similar to those of the English phrases like “what time is it?” and “do you have the time?”

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “nanji desu ka” literally mean in Japanese?

The phrase consists of the following three components:

• nanji – 何時 (なんじ) : a word meaning ‘what time’ in Japanese. The first kanji works as an interrogative pronoun to mean ‘what’ in Japanese; the second one often works as a noun to mean ‘time’. So, this word literally means ‘what time’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the phrase, this is used after “nanji” to make it sound polite.
• ka – か : a sentence-ending particle used to make a question. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the phrase to make the question.

These three components tell us that the formed phrase literally means ‘what time?’ politely in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning, I think.

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “nanji desu ka” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “what time is it now?” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• sumimasen – すみません : a phrase meaning ‘excuse me’ in Japanese.
• ima – 今 (いま) : a noun, but often used as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence to mean ‘now’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used as an adverb to mean ‘now’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she said.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ 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 “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to indicate to whom she said.
• it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “nanji desu ka”. In this example, it works together with “ima” to mean ‘what time is it now?’ in Japanese. When we want to ask the time in Japanese, anyway, this phrase is always a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “nanji desu ka”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tokorode – ところで : a conjunction often used to shift topics. In the example, this is used at the beginning of the sentence to mean ‘by the way’ in Japanese.
• nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works as a topic marker after “nippon” to put a focus on it. The formed phrase, “nippon wa,” has been translated into English as just “in Japan”, though.

This is another typical usage of “nanji desu ka”. In this example, it works together with “nippon wa” and “ima” to mean ‘what time is it now in Japan?’ in Japanese. Like in this example, the combination of a country name and the binding particle, “wa”, is very useful to ask the time in the particular country in Japanese.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• nanji desu ka – 何時ですか (なんじですか) : a phrase meaning ‘what time is it?’ in Japanese. This phrase consists of three components: “nanji”, “desu”, and “ka”. These three literally mean ‘what time?’ politely in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning.
• ima nanji desu ka – 今何時ですか (いまなんじですか) : a phrase meaning ‘what time is it now?’ in Japanese. “Ima” is a noun, but often used as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence to mean ‘now’ in Japanese. In this phrase, it works as an adverb at the beginning.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.