45
時
Time, Hour
とき (toki)
JLPT N5
Interesting Fact
The kanji 時 contains 寺 (temple) because temples played an important role in marking time for local communities. Long before smartphones and wristwatches, the sound of a bell could tell an entire village that part of the day had begun—or ended.
Memory Trick
Left = Sun (日), Right = Temple (寺). Before modern clocks, Japanese people watched the sun and listened to temple bells to keep track of time.
Readings
Onyomi: ジ (ji)
Kunyomi: とき (toki)
Example Words
時間
じかん (jikan)
Time
時計
とけい (tokei)
Clock
一時
いちじ (ichiji)
One o'clock
時々
ときどき (tokidoki)
Sometimes
Example Sentence
今何時ですか。
いま なんじ ですか。
ima nanji desu ka
What time is it now?