How to Say ‘What time does it start?’ in Japanese
何時に始まりますか。
nan ji ni hajimari masu ka
[nahn ji nee hah-jee-mah-ree mahs ka]
💬 Usage Tip: に (ni) marks the exact time something happens: 何時に "at what time". It's not used with ごろ-type vague times as strictly, and never with 今 "now".
Phrase Breakdown
何時に
nan ji ni
at what time
Read as 'nan-ji ni'. に (ni) marks a point in time, like 'at'.
何時に起きますか。
What time do you get up?
Words in this phrase
何
nan
[nahn]
how many; what number
Used to ask quantity or number.
何名様ですかと聞かれました。
I was asked, 'How many people are in your party?'
時
ji
[ji]
o'clock
Used to specify the hour in time.
授業は九時に始まります。
The class starts at nine o'clock.
に
ni
[nee]
at (a time)
Particle marking the specific point in time when something happens.
七時に起きます。
I get up at seven.
始まりますか。
hajimari masu ka
does it start?
Read as 'ha-ji-ma-ri-ma-su ka'. This is the polite question form of 始まる (to begin). The 'u' in 'masu' is soft.
映画はもう始まりますか。
Is the movie starting soon?
Words in this phrase
始まり
hajimari
[hah-jee-mah-ree]
begin; start
From 始まる, meaning something begins. This is the polite stem.
会議が始まりました。
The meeting started.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
か
ka
[ka]
question particle
Added at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
お茶を飲みますか？
Do you drink tea?
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