Itsu, Nanji, and Nanyoubi: Ask About Time

いつ asks when in a broad sense. 何時 asks the clock time, and 何曜日 asks the day of the week. The desired precision determines the question. A reply such as 来週 is useful for いつ but does not normally answer 何時.

Formation and use

A neutral いつ question often has no に: いつ行きますか. Specific clock times commonly take に: 七時に行きます. Relative words such as 今日 and 明日 normally stand without に in a neutral statement.

何時 is read なんじ and 何曜日 is なんようび. Learn exceptional clock readings such as 四時（よじ）, 七時（しちじ）, and 九時（くじ） alongside the question.

Comparisons and common errors

から and まで can specify opening and closing times: 九時から五時まで. A time interval differs from a duration such as 三時間; do not answer “how many hours” with a clock time.

Time questions leave tense to the verb: いつ行きましたか asks about a past trip; いつ行きますか can ask about a plan. Keep the reply aligned with that reference time.

Practise with explanations

Try the 10 questions below, or open the practice set. Check each answer or the whole set, read the explanation, and retry mistakes. First-attempt results are kept separately on this device.

Connected lessons

• Nani or Nan: Read and Use 何 in Questions
• Kara and Made: Starting and Ending Points
• Japanese Frequency: Mainichi, Yoku, and Shuu Ni Nankai