Japanese Grammar 17 – Time Expressions & Counters · N5

📋 Formation Reference — Time Expressions & Counters

When to use に with time words, and which counter to choose. Press ▶ to hear examples.

TIME WORDS THAT NEED に

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
いちじ、にじ…	ichiji, niji…	1 o'clock, 2 o'clock…
いちがつ、にがつ…	ichigatsu, nigatsu…	January, February…
ついたち、ふつか…	tsuitachi, futsuka…	1st, 2nd… (of month)
げつようび、かようび…	getsuyoubi, kayoubi…	Monday, Tuesday…

TIME WORDS THAT DO NOT NEED に

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
きょう	kyou	today
あした	ashita	tomorrow
きのう	kinou	yesterday
まいにち	mainichi	every day
いま	ima	now
こんしゅう	konshuu	this week
らいしゅう	raishuu	next week
せんしゅう	senshuu	last week

COMMON N5 COUNTERS

Counter	Used for	Examples
～つ	General objects (1–10)	ひとつ、ふたつ、みっつ
～にん	People	ひとり、ふたり、さんにん
～ほん／ぽん／ぼん	Long thin things	いっぽん、にほん、さんぼん
～まい	Flat things	いちまい、にまい
～だい	Machines / vehicles	いちだい、にだい
～ひき／ぴき／びき	Small animals	いっぴき、にひき、さんびき
～さつ	Books / bound things	いっさつ、にさつ
～かい	Floors / times	いっかい、にかい
～じかん	Hours (duration)	いちじかん、にじかん
～ふん／ぷん	Minutes	いっぷん、にふん、さんぷん

🗣 Example Sentences

See how time expressions and counters work in context. Press ▶ to hear each sentence.

TIME WITH に

Clock

まいあさしちじにおきます。

Maiasa shichiji ni okimasu.

I wake up at 7 every morning.

まいあさしちじにおきます

maiasa shichiji ni okimasu

→ "I wake up at 7 every morning." (specific clock time → に required)

Day

にちようびにえいがをみます。

Nichiyoubi ni eiga wo mimasu.

I watch a movie on Sunday.

RELATIVE TIME — NO に

Today

あしたともだちにあいます。

Ashita tomodachi ni aimasu.

I'll meet a friend tomorrow.

あしたともだちにあいます

ashita (no に) tomodachi ni aimasu

→ "Tomorrow I'll meet a friend." (relative time word → no に)

COUNTERS IN USE

～つ

りんごをみっつください。

Ringo wo mittsu kudasai.

Three apples, please.

～にん

きょうしつにがくせいがじゅうにんいます。

Kyoushitsu ni gakusei ga juunin imasu.

There are 10 students in the classroom.

～ほん

えんぴつがにほんあります。

Enpitsu ga nihon arimasu.

There are 2 pencils.

～じかん

にじかんべんきょうしました。

Nijikan benkyou shimashita.

I studied for 2 hours.

～かい

このビルはごかいです。

Kono biru wa gokai desu.

This building has 5 floors.

📋 Quick-Reference Cheatsheet ▼

に Rule — Clock & Calendar Times Need に

✅ CORRECT

さんじにねます。

Sanji ni nemasu.

I go to sleep at 3 o'clock.

Specific clock time → に required.

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

きょうにねます。

Kyou ni nemasu.

Intended: "I sleep today."

Relative words like きょう never take に. Drop it: きょうねます。

Counter Position — Noun + を + Number + Counter + Verb

✅ CORRECT

りんごをふたつかいました。

Ringo wo futatsu kaimashita.

I bought two apples.

Counter comes after the object, before the verb.

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

ふたつりんごをかいました。

Futatsu ringo wo kaimashita.

Intended: "I bought two apples."

Counter should not come before the object noun in Japanese.

～つ Counters Only Go 1–10

✅ CORRECT

じゅういっこあります。

Juuikko arimasu.

There are 11 (items).

Above 10, switch to a specific counter like ～こ or ～まい.

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

じゅういっつあります。

Juuittsu arimasu.

Intended: "There are 11."

～つ stops at とお (10). Do not use it beyond 10.

Sound Changes — っ before p / b / s sounds

✅ CORRECT FORMS

いっぽん・いっぴき・いっぷん・いっさつ

ippon · ippiki · ippun · issatsu

1 (long thing) · 1 (animal) · 1 minute · 1 book

いち + ほん/ひき/ふん/さつ all trigger small っ (gemination).

❌ COMMON MISTAKE

いちほん、いちひき、いちふん

ichi-hon, ichi-hiki, ichi-fun

Intended: 1 (long thing / animal / minute)

These combinations always produce sound changes. Memorise the irregular forms.

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (いっぽん = ippon).

📖 Grammar Deep Dive ▼

Why Counters Have Sound Changes (p / b / h alternation)

Japanese counters change pronunciation depending on the number before them. The three main triggers are:

  • いち, ろく, はち, じゅう before ～ほん → いっぽん, ろっぽん, はっぽん, じゅっぽん
  • いち, ろく, はち, じゅう before ～ひき → いっぴき, ろっぴき, はっぴき, じゅっぴき
  • いち, ろく, はち, じゅう before ～ふん → いっぷん, ろっぷん, はっぷん, じゅっぷん
  • さん before ～ほん → さんぼん (voiced b)

This is called rendaku or gemination — a natural phonetic shift. Memorise by category, not by rule.

いち＋ほん → いっぽん

ichi + hon → ippon

→ The final consonant of いち geminates to double the initial consonant of ほん.

えんぴつがいっぽんあります。

Enpitsu ga ippon arimasu.

There is one pencil.

Question Forms for Counters

Each counter has a "how many?" question word:

  • なんにん — how many people?
  • なんぼん — how many long thin things?
  • なんまい — how many flat things?
  • なんさつ — how many books?
  • なんじかん — how many hours?
  • なんぷん — how many minutes?
  • いくつ — how many? (for ～つ general counter)

[NOUN] がなん＋[counter] ありますか

[noun] ga nan+[counter] arimasu ka

→ "How many [noun] are there?"

がくせいがなんにんいますか。

Gakusei ga nannin imasu ka.

How many students are there?

Duration + で — "In/Within X Hours"

To express completing something within a duration, attach で to the counter.

  • にじかんで = "in two hours" (completed within that time)
  • This is different from にじかん alone, which is simply a duration quantity.
  • で here marks the scope/limit of time, not location.

[duration] で [verb — completion]

[duration] de [verb]

→ "To do [verb] within [duration]."

にじかんでおわりました。

Nijikan de owarimashita.

It finished in two hours.

～ごろ — Approximate Clock Time

ごろ attaches to a specific time to make it approximate ("around", "about").

• Used only with clock times and dates — not with relative words like きょう or あした.
• ごろ replaces に when approximation is needed (you do not use both に and ごろ together).

[clock/date time] ごろ [verb]

[time] goro [verb]

→ "Around [time], [verb]."

さんじごろかえります。

Sanji goro kaerimasu.

I'll go home around 3 o'clock.

～ぐらい / ～くらい — Approximate Amount or Duration

ぐらい (or くらい — same meaning, interchangeable) attaches to amounts and durations to mean "about" or "approximately".

  • Unlike ごろ, ぐらい is used for quantities and durations, not specific points in time.
  • It can combine with counters: にじかんぐらい = "about two hours".
  • Commonly heard in casual and polite speech alike.

[number + counter] ぐらい [verb]

[amount] gurai [verb]

→ "About [amount], [verb]."

さんじかんぐらいまちました。

Sanjikan gurai machimashita.

I waited for about three hours.

📝 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	English
じかん	jikan	time / hour
ふん	fun	minute
にち	nichi	day (counter)
がつ	gatsu	month (counter)
ようび	youbi	day of the week
ひとつ	hitotsu	one (general counter)
ひとり	hitori	one person
いっぽん	ippon	one (long thin thing)
いちまい	ichimai	one (flat thing)
いっぴき	ippiki	one (small animal)
いっさつ	issatsu	one (book)
ごろ	goro	around / approximately (time)