If you want to ask for the time, you use the phrase: “今何時ですか.“ (Ima nanji desu ka). It means „What time is it now?”. In order to tell the time, it is important that you are able to count in Japanese. To tell the time is quite easy. At first you say the hours, then the minutes. 半(はん han) means half, as in half past the hour.  So if someone asks you 今何時ですか the answer would be e.g. 今5時半です (Ima go-ji han desu) – It’s half past five.

As you can see there are 3 exceptions: 4 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 9 o’clock. You always say yo-ji (not yon-ji), shichi-ji (not nana-ji) and ku-ji (not kyuu-ji). You also have to watch out for the irregular pronunciation of the minutes 分

Some useful terms you should also know are:

時間　(jikan) – time

午後　(gogo) – afternoon; PM

午前　(gozen) – morning; AM

前　(mae) – before

時計　(tokei) – clock

朝　(asa) – morning

昼　(hiru) – noon

晩　(ban) – evening

夜　(yoru) – night