時 — Time, Hour

Meaning

The kanji 時 means time and hour. It appears in words for telling the clock, marking historical eras, and capturing fleeting moments. Ask someone what time it is, describe a period in history, or say "at that moment" — 時 is almost always there.

Structurally, 時 splits into two parts. On the left is 日 (hi/nichi), meaning "sun" or "day" — the sky's original clock. On the right is 寺 (tera/ji), meaning "temple," which originally carried the sense of "to hold" or "to maintain." Together they suggest the sun fixed at a particular point: a moment held still in its passage across the sky. Sun marking time, temple holding it in place.

Taught in Grade 2 of Japanese elementary school, 時 has 10 strokes and uses 日 as its radical. Japanese children encounter it early — and for good reason. From clock faces to train schedules to historical dramas, it comes up constantly.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

The on'yomi is ジ (ji), drawn from classical Chinese. It appears in most kanji compounds involving time. You'll hear it every time someone reads a clock aloud or checks a schedule.

• 時間じかん (jikan) — time, hours (as a duration)
• 時計とけい (tokei) — clock, watch
• 時代じだい (jidai) — era, period, age
• 同時どうじ (dōji) — simultaneous, at the same time
• 時速じそく (jisoku) — speed per hour

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The kun'yomi readings are とき (toki) and -どき (-doki). These native Japanese readings appear when the kanji stands alone or combines with words of Japanese origin.

とき (toki) works as a standalone noun for "time," "moment," or "occasion." It carries a situational weight that じかん lacks — less about duration, more about a specific point in experience. 「その時」 (sono toki) means "at that moment," with an emotional gravity that clock-time can't convey.

• 時とき (toki) — time, moment, occasion
• 時々ときどき (tokidoki) — sometimes, from time to time
• その時そのとき (sono toki) — at that time, that moment

-どき (-doki) is a suffix (via rendaku — the voiced consonant shift from と to ど) that attaches to verbs or nouns to mean "the right time for ~." It signals not just when something happens, but when it should happen.

• 食べ時たべどき (tabedoki) — the right time to eat
• 買い時かいどき (kaidoki) — the right time to buy
• 旬しゅんの食べ時たべどき (shun no tabedoki) — peak season to eat something

Common Words & Compounds

Time touches everything, so 時 compounds appear across everyday speech, formal writing, and historical texts alike. Here are the most practical ones, grouped by use.

Telling Time & Clocks

• 一時いちじ (ichiji) — one o'clock
• 何時なんじ (nanji) — what time?
• 時計とけい (tokei) — clock, watch
• 時刻じこく (jikoku) — time, (exact) hour

Duration & Frequency

• 時間じかん (jikan) — time (duration), hour(s)
• 時々ときどき (tokidoki) — sometimes
• 随時ずいじ (zuiji) — at any time, as needed
• 臨時りんじ (rinji) — temporary, special occasion

Historical & Formal

• 時代じだい (jidai) — era, period, age
• 当時とうじ (tōji) — at that time, in those days
• 定時ていじ (teiji) — fixed time, scheduled time (e.g., leaving work on the dot)
• 時期じき (jiki) — time, period, season

Everyday Use

• 時速じそく (jisoku) — speed per hour
• 同時どうじ (dōji) — simultaneous, at the same time
• 非常時ひじょうじ (hijōji) — emergency, time of crisis

Example Sentences

Related Kanji

• 午 — Noon, Midday (Kanji N5)
• 今 — Now, Present (Kanji N5)
• 毎 — Every, Each (Kanji N5)
• 半 — Half (Kanji N5)
• 前 — Before, In Front (Kanji N5)
• 分 — Minute, Part, Divide, Understand (Kanji N5)

Memory Tip

Picture a Buddhist temple (寺) with a giant sun (日) painted on its wall. Monks ring a bell every hour as the sun moves — temple plus sun equals tracked time. Left side: 日 (sun, the world's original clock). Right side: 寺 (temple, where time is formally kept). Together: 時.

Vietnamese learners can anchor this directly to THỜ. The words thời gian (time) and thời đại (era) share the exact same Chinese root as 時 — same meaning, same origin, different script.