“Nanji desu ka” is the Japanese expression for ‘what time is it?’, explained

How to ask the time in Japanese

Japanese native speakers often say “nanji desu ka” to ask the time in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this expression in detail based on its components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka”
• Components of “nanji desu ka”
• Example #1: how to say “what time is it now?” in Japanese
• Example #2: how to say “what time is it now in America?” in Japanese
• Example #3: how to say “what time does [something] start?” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “nanji desu ka”

First of all, 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 Japanese expression for ‘what time is it?’

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. To understand this expression more clearly, however, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Components of “nanji desu ka”

Below are the components used in the expression.

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

From these three components, we can understand that “nanji desu ka” is literally a Japanese polite expression for ‘what time?’ And actually it is. Japanese native speakers, therefore, often use this expression to ask the time especially in formal situations. In more casual situations, they often use “nanji” instead of the full expression. It literally means ‘what time’ in Japanese, so is understandable in many cases.

Then, let me explain how to use this expression 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 : an interjection meaning ‘excuse me’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers often use this before asking a question.
• ima – 今 (いま) : a noun, but often used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “now” in Japanese. In the example, it is used as an adverb.

This is a typical usage of “nanji desu ka”. When we want to say “what time is it now?” in Japanese, we should use the expression together with the adverb, “ima”, like in this example.

Example #2: how to say “what time is it now in America?” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• amerika – アメリカ (あめりか) : a noun meaning ‘America’. This originally came from the pronunciation of “America”.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it works as a topic marker to put a focus on “America”.

When we want to ask “what time is it now in America?” in Japanese, we can use this example sentence. In this example, I focused on America. When we want to ask the time in a particular region other than America, all we have to do is replace “amerika” in this example with the name of that region.

Example #3: how to say “what time does [something] start?” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In the example, it is used to limit the meaning of the following word, “kaigi”, with the meaning of the preceding word, “ashita”. The formed phrase, “ashita no kaigi”, can literally be translated as “tomorrow’s meeting”. The role of “no” is quite similar to those of “of” and “‘s” in English. In reality, the phrase has been translated as “the meeting” and “tomorrow”, though.
• kaigi – 会議 (かいぎ) : a noun meaning ‘meeting’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained above. In this example, it works to put a focus on ‘the meeting’.
• kara – から : a case particle used to indicate a particular time when something starts. It corresponds well to the English preposition, “from”.

This example shows the extended application of “nanji desu ka”. The case particle, “kara”, has been inserted between “nanji” and “desu” to add the meaning and nuance of “from” to “what time”. In the translation, it has been reflected as “start”. When we want to say “what time does [something] start?” in Japanese, we can use the expression, “[something] wa nanji kara desu ka”.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the expression, “nanji desu ka”, in detail based on its 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 Japanese expression for ‘what time is it?’ This is literally a Japanese polite expression for ‘what time’.
• ima nanji desu ka – 今何時ですか (いまなんじですか) : a Japanese expressifon for ‘what time is it now?’
• nanji kara desu ka – 何時からですか (なんじからですか) : a Japanese polite expression for ‘what time does [something] start?’ The case particle, “kara”, has been inserted between “nanji” and “desu” to add the meaning and nuance of “from” to “what time”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.