Ima nan ji desu ka? 今何時ですか

PLAY JAPANESE TIME GAME
Vocabulary:

1 o'clock - ichi-ji (ji counter for time)
2 o'clock - ni-ji
3 o'clock - san-ji
4 o'clock - yo-ji **
5 o'clock - go-ji
6 o'clock - roku-ji
7 o'clock - shichi-ji
8 o'clock - hachi-ji
9 o'clock - ku-ji **
10 o'clock - jyuu-ji
11 o'clock - jyuuichi-ji
12 o'clock - jyuuni-ji

AM - gozen
PM - gogo

Minute - pun/fun (depending on the number)

1 minute - ippun
2 minutes - nifun
3 minutes - sanpun
4 minutes - yonpun
5 minutes - gofun
6 minutes - roppun
7 minutes - nanafun
8 minutes - happun
9 minutes - kyufun
10 minutes - jyuppun

Example:

4:18AM - gozen yoji jyuuhappun (AM/PM comes first in Japanese)

English	日本語 (Japanese)
What time is it?	今何時ですか (ima nan ji desu ka?)
It's one o'clock	一時です (ichi ji desu)
It's quarter past one	一時十五づんです (ichi ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past one	一時半です (ichi ji han desu)
It's quarter to two	一時四十五分です (ichi ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's two o'clock	二時です (ni ji desu)
It's quarter past two	二時十五づんです (ni ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past two	二時半です (ni ji han desu)
It's quarter to three	二時四十五分です (ni ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's three o'clock	三時です (san ji desu)
It's quarter past three	三時十五づんです (san ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past three	三時半です (san ji han desu)
It's quarter to four	三時四十五分です (san ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's four o'clock	四時です (yon ji desu)
It's quarter past four	四時十五づんです (yon ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past four	四時半です (yon ji han desu)
It's quarter to five	四時四十五分です (yon ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's five o'clock	五時です (go ji desu)
It's quarter past five	五時十五づんです (go ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past five	五時半です (go ji han desu)
It's quarter to six	五時四十五分です (go ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's six o'clock	六時です (roku ji desu)
It's quarter past six	六時十五づんです (roku ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past six	六時半です (roku ji han desu)
It's quarter to seven	六時四十五分です (roku ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's seven o'clock	七時です (shichi ji desu)
It's quarter past seven	七時十五づんです (shichi ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past seven	七時半です (shichi ji han desu)
It's quarter to eight	七時四十五分です (shichi ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's eight o'clock	八時です (hachi ji desu)
It's quarter past eight	八時十五づんです (hachi ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past eight	八時半です (hachi ji han desu)
It's quarter to nine	八時四十五分です (hachi ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's nine o'clock	九時です (ku ji desu)
It's quarter past nine	九時十五づんです (ku ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past nine	九時半です (ku ji han desu)
It's quarter to ten	九時四十五分です (ku ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's ten o'clock	十時です (jū ji desu)
It's quarter past ten	十時十五づんです (jū ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past ten	十時半です (jū ji han desu)
It's quarter to eleven	十時四十五分です (jū ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's eleven o'clock	十一時です (jūichi ji desu)
It's quarter past eleven	十一時十五づんです (jūichi ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past eleven	十一時半です (jūichi ji han desu)
It's quarter to twelve	十一時四十五分です (jūichi ji yonjūgo fun desu)
It's twelve o'clock	十二時です (jūni ji desu)
It's quarter past twelve	十二時十五づんです (jūni ji jūgo fun desu)
It's half past twelve	十二時半です (jūni ji han desu)
It's quarter to one	十二時四十五分です (jūni ji yonjūgo fun desu)
it's midday	正午です (shōgo desu)
it's midnight	夜半です (yahan desu)
in the morning	朝に (asa ni)
in the afternoon	午後に (gogo ni)
in the evening	夜に (yoru ni)

Minutes in Japanese

For minutes attach -fun to the standard set of numbers.

:01	ippun	:21	nijuuippun	:41	yonjuuippun
:02	nifun	:22	nijuunifun	:42	yonjuunifun
:03	sanpun	:23	nijuusanpun	:43	yonjuusanpun
:04	yonpun	:24	nijuuyonpun	:44	yonjuuyonpun
:05	gofun	:25	nijuugofun	:45	yonjuugofun
:06	roppun	:26	nijuuroppun	:46	yonjuuroppun
:07	nanafun	:27	nijuunanafun	:47	yonjuunanafun
:08	happun	:28	nijuuhappun	:48	yonjuuhappun
:09	kyuufun	:29	nijuukyuufun	:49	yonjuukyuufun
:10	juppun	:30	sanjuppun	:50	gojuppun
:11	juuippun	:31	sanjuuippun	:51	gojuuippun
:12	juunifun	:32	sanjuunifun	:52	gojuunifun
:13	juusanpun	:33	sanjuusanpun	:53	gojuusanpun
:14	juuyonpun	:34	sanjuuyonpun	:54	gojuuyonpun
:15	juugofun	:35	sanjuugofun	:55	gojuugofun
:16	juuroppun	:36	sanjuuroppun	:56	gojuuroppun
:17	juunanafun	:37	sanjuunanafun	:57	gojuunanafun
:18	juuhappun	:38	sanjuuhappun	:58	gojuuhappun
:19	juukyuufun	:39	sanjuukyuufun	:59	gojuukyuufun
:20	nijuppun	:40	yonjuppun

Kyoto 京都市

Kyoto 

surrounded by mountains

when the full moon floats

it seems that I run into the Bamboo Prince

chattering wood-flip-flops

the wearing of Kimonos

He lives in an eel house to avoid summer heat

that has summer breezes running through

He is looking at the inside-garden 

hearing a bamboo-pipe receive flowing water 

making sounds against a hand-washed-stone-pot

colorful maple leaves fall onto him as he is

caught in a Fox's wedding on a sunny cold winter day

eating herring-soba to keep up his protein

He enjoys Spring covered in the pink

Of cherry blossom

Traditional life ideas bearing something new, here in Kyoto

in cuisine, attire and life-style

for eyes, ears, nose and mouth 

- wabi sabi

The Tragedy of Naruto / Keisei Awa no Naruto / 傾城阿波の鳴門 / Tokushima 徳島県

A grown man #movedtotears by a #puppetplay at the Awa Jurobe Yashiki #theatre ---"The Tragedy of Naruto" / "Keisei Awa no Naruto" / 傾城阿波の鳴門 / also known as "The Infant Pilgrim" in English ...#tokushima #japan and #japaneseart #theatre continue to teach and move an old man like me --- the art of the #marionnette #burattini #marionetta #操り人形 #ayatsuri ningyō #徳島 #日本 #劇場#gekijo #awajurobeyashiki — in Tokushima, Tokushima.

"My father’s name is Jûrobê, my mother is Oyumi…" are the famous lines uttered by Otsuru, "the infant pilgrim" from this puppet play still performed in the city of Tokushima on Shikoku over two hundred years after its first performance. The play, consists of 10 sections and premiered in 1768 at Takemoto-za theater in Osaka. Today, only the 8th section called ‘Jûrobê Sumika: Junrei-uta no dan (a section of ''The Pilgrimage song")’ is played.

Here we see Otsuru (unknowingly) coming across her mother by chance after a long and dangerous search as a child pilgrim across Shikoku and all the way to Osaka. Oyumi cannot reveal her identity out of shame for her action even though she recognises her child and desperately wants to reunite with her. Oyumi’s emotional turmoil moves the audience to tears. A bizarre twist involving Otsuru's father who has turned to crime for a living informs the tragedy.

Getting to see this section of the play live in Tokushima was one of the highlights of my first trip to Japan.

Japanese Verbs / Doshi / 動詞

100 important Japanese Verbs (Romanji / Kanji / audio / examples) 

masu form affirmative	tabemasu
masu form negative	tabemasen
masu past affirmative	tabemashita
masu past negative	tabemasendeshita

Examples

Basic Structure

[ subject ]

wa

[ something ]

o

tabemasu

1.

Watashi wa ban-gohan o tabemasu.

I (will) eat dinner.

2.

Watashi wa niku o tabemasen.

I don't eat meat.

3.

Watashi wa kinoo Karee o tabemashita.

I ate curry yesterday.

4.

Watashi wa kinoo Ginza de Furansu ryoori o tabemashita.

I ate French food at Ginza yesterday.

5.

Watashi wa kesa asa-gohan o tabemasendeshita.

I didn't eat breakfast this morning.

My sentences from class ...

Raishu Sydney ni ikimasu = Next week I (will go/ am going) to Sydney

Kyo gakko ni o ikimashita = Today I went to chool

Maiasa asoghan ni nani o nomimasu ka? = What do you drink every morning for breakfast?

Ashita nihon ni o tobimasu = Tomorrow I am flying to Japan

Nanno shigoto wa shimasu ka? = What type of work (shigoto) do you do?

Time Phrases

Kyo = today
Ashita = tomorrow

Kino = yesterday
mainichi = everyday
maiasa = every morning

maiban = every evening

masu form affirmative	shimasu
masu form negative	shimasen
masu past affirmative	shimashita
masu past negative	shimasendeshita

Basic Structure

[ subject ]

wa

[ something ]

o

shimasu

1.

Watashi wa tenisu o shimasu.

I (will) play tennis.

2.

Watashi wa gorufu o shimasen.

I don't play golf.

3.

Watashi wa kinoo Ginza de kaimono o shimashita.

I did my shopping at Ginza yesterday.

	4.	Watashi wa Nihongo no benkyoo o shimasu.
		Watashi wa Nihongo o benkyoo shimasu.

I (will) study Japanese.

Utada Hikaru 宇多田 ヒカル Michi 道

Beyond the black waves, I feel a hint of morning
The unfading stars start shining in my heart
Even sad songs will someday become nostalgic ones
An unseen scar colors my soul

黒い波の向こうに朝の気配がする
消えない星が私の胸に輝き出す
悲しい歌もいつか懐かしい歌になる
見えない傷が私の魂彩る

I discovered Hikaru Utada on Japanese TV by chance while in Kyoto last September. Hikaru holds the record for having the largest selling album in Japanese history but in recent years disappeared off the scene. That night on NHK was the first time she had appeared in public for some years and on further investigation I learnt about her professional and personal struggles, most notably, coming to terms with the death of her mother, Keiko Fuji (also one of Japan's most popular singers). Keiko took her own life in 2013.  Many of the songs explore themes of loss, grief, rejection and death although there are also notes of love (Hikaru remarried in 2014 and gave birth to a son a year later). 

So this song "Michi" (Road) has a poignant edge. The song is from her album "Fantôme" 

Find out more about Hikaru and listen to excerpts from her most recent album here

Watashi wa kono kyoku ga dai suki desu


Michi from taorpiest 3 on Vimeo.

Ogon Bato-Fantoma 黄金バット

私の子供の頃のヒーロー / Watashi no kodomo no koro no hīrō / My childhood hero ...

Japanese opening ...はじめ

Watashi wa kono eiga ga suki / 

私はこの映画が好き

Watashi wa Ogon Batu :-) desu