Nihongo: Telling Time
During class, my sensei will often ask whoever is closest to the wall “Ima nanji desu ka” which means “what time is it.” My time telling skills on the fly are rather sub-par, so I decided to write up a tutorial on telling time in Japanese to help not only myself, but anyone else who wants to learn.
To tell time, we must first begin with numbers. Counting in Japanese is a little confusing for beginners, because if you are counting people you use different (but similar) words than if you are counting objects. In the dojo we use numbers different from regular counting as well. So, I will teach using the counting system we use in class.
1. ichi 一
2. ni 二
3. san 三
4. shi (or yon) 四 shi also means death, which is why the Japanese prefer to use Yon. This is also directly related to the superstition that 4 is an unlucky number.
5. go 五
6. roku 六
7. shichi (or nana) 七
8. hachi 八
9. kyuu 九
10. juu 拾
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In the times of feudal Japan, a samurai would travel through Japan in Musha Shugyo. These wandering Samurai are not to be confused with Ronin, or “Masterless Samurai.” Ronin are samurai who have been expelled by their master, or their master has been killed in battle. A shugyosha is a samurai who has left his family and school to travel from town to town, taking challenges and learning at various schools to hone their skills. This time is also used to seek a daimyo to serve. The shugyosha would carry only a few supplies, their swords (or weapon of choice), and would hire themselves out for food or money. During this time, the shugyosha would not be protected by his family or school. The most famous shugyosha was Miyamoto Musashi.
