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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "what time is it" in Japanese?

今何時だ

ima nanji da

Phrase Kanji

In Japanese, "what time is it" is 今何時だ (ima nanji da).

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Pronunciation

Say ee-mah nan-jee dah, nanji is the key word for 'what time', keep the n nasal and the ji short and crisp.

Writing and usage

今何時だ is written using kanji. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

what time is it

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How to remember 今何時だ

Nanji sounds like 'non, gee', picture checking your watch and saying 'non, gee, is it really this late already?'

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 今何時だ

How do you pronounce 今何時だ?

Say ee-mah nan-jee dah, nanji is the key word for 'what time', keep the n nasal and the ji short and crisp.

Is 今何時だ formal or casual?

今何時だ is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.

How is 今何時だ written in Japanese?

今何時だ is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as ima nanji da.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"What time is it" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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