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JLPT N56画 · 6 strokesradical 日grade 2freq #15Kanken level 9JFT-Basic vocabularyJōyō kanji

time, hour

On'yomi (音読み)

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • とき
  • どき

Mnemonic

As the sun (日) sets behind the temple (寺), it marks the hour (時) when time fades into twilight.

About this kanji

The kanji "時" primarily means "time" or "hour," and it can be used both as a noun and in various compounds. In its noun form, you might encounter it in words like "時間" (じかん), meaning "time" as a duration, and "時刻" (じこく), which refers to a specific time, like a train schedule. Another common usage is in "時々" (ときどき), meaning "sometimes." This kanji can be pronounced as "とき" (toki) in native Japanese, which refers to a point in time. Keep in mind that while it refers to time in general, context will determine its specific meaning and usage.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 今は三時です。

    It is three o'clock now.

Meanings across languages

English
time, hour
Tiếng Việt
thời gian, giờ
日本語
時, 時間
한국어
시간
中文
时间
id
waktu
th
เวลา
es
tiempo
fr
temps
de
Zeit
pt
tempo

Common compounds

  • 時間じかんtime
  • 時刻じこくtime, hour
  • 時々ときどきsometimes

Words using this kanji

Related articles

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