Conversational Japanese Quiz: Date And Time Expressions
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Date And Time ExpressionsQuestion 1 of 10

You are planning a trip and read the following in a Japanese travel guide: 「このツアーは毎月第二月曜日の朝九時に出発します。」

You want to join the tour in a month where the 1st falls on a Monday. On which date would the tour depart?

The 15th, because 第二月曜日 means the Monday closest to the middle of the month, which in most months falls around the 15th.
The 14th, because 第二月曜日 counts the first full week as week one, so the second Monday must fall in the second full week, which begins on the 8th, making the Monday the 14th.
The 7th, because if the 1st is a Monday, adding six days lands on Sunday the 7th, and the next Monday is considered the second Monday.
The 8th, because if the 1st is a Monday, the second Monday of the month falls exactly one week later, on the 8th.
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Conversational Japanese Quiz

Conversational Japanese Quiz: Date And Time Expressions

Practice Date And Time Expressions in Conversational Japanese with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Date And Time Expressions, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Conversational Japanese.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

You are planning a trip and read the following in a Japanese travel guide: 「このツアーは毎月第二月曜日の朝九時に出発します。」

You want to join the tour in a month where the 1st falls on a Monday. On which date would the tour depart?

  1. The 15th, because 第二月曜日 means the Monday closest to the middle of the month, which in most months falls around the 15th.
  2. The 14th, because 第二月曜日 counts the first full week as week one, so the second Monday must fall in the second full week, which begins on the 8th, making the Monday the 14th.
  3. The 7th, because if the 1st is a Monday, adding six days lands on Sunday the 7th, and the next Monday is considered the second Monday.
  4. The 8th, because if the 1st is a Monday, the second Monday of the month falls exactly one week later, on the 8th. (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see 第二月曜日 in Japanese, break it down systematically: 第 (ordinal marker) + 二 (two) + 月曜日 (Monday). This simply means "the 2nd Monday of the month" — counted in straightforward order from the first Monday that appears. If the 1st of the month falls on a Monday, that day is the first Monday. Counting exactly one week forward brings you to the 8th, which is the second Monday. The tour therefore departs on the 8th, confirming that D is correct. Choice A misreads 第二月曜日 entirely. The expression has nothing to do with proximity to the middle of the month — it is a precise ordinal system, not an approximation based on date ranges. Choice B introduces an invented rule about "full weeks." Japanese date expressions like 第二月曜日 do not require a full seven-day week to pass before counting begins. The first Monday is simply the first Monday, regardless of which day the month opens on. Choice C contains a calculation error and faulty logic. Adding six days to Monday the 1st gives you Sunday the 7th — but that is not a Monday, and the reasoning behind "the next Monday is considered the second Monday" misunderstands the counting system entirely. The 1st itself is already the first Monday. As a study tip, whenever you encounter 第＋number＋day-of-week in Japanese, treat it like an ordinal list: find the first occurrence of that weekday in the month, then count forward. No special rules apply — just straightforward weekly intervals.

Question 2

A Japanese friend texts you: 「今度の土曜日、午後三時半に駅で会いましょう。」You check your phone and see today is Tuesday. Which of the following correctly interprets this message?

  1. Meet at the station at 3:30 PM this coming Saturday, since 今度の土曜日 refers to the nearest upcoming Saturday and 午後三時半 means 3:30 PM. (correct answer)
  2. Meet at the station at 3:15 PM this coming Saturday, since 今度の土曜日 refers to the nearest upcoming Saturday and 三時半 is interpreted as 'a quarter past three.'
  3. Meet at the station at 3:30 AM this coming Saturday, since 今度 carries a morning nuance and 三時半 means half past three without specifying PM.
  4. Meet at the station at 3:30 PM next week Saturday, since 今度 always implies the following week rather than the current week.
Explanation: When reading Japanese messages about meeting times, you need to break the sentence into two parts: the time expression and the day expression, then interpret each carefully. The phrase 今度の土曜日 literally means "this time's Saturday," which in natural Japanese refers to the nearest upcoming Saturday — not necessarily the following calendar week. Since today is Tuesday, the nearest Saturday is just four days away, making this Saturday the correct interpretation. Meanwhile, 午後三時半 breaks down cleanly: 午後 (ごご) means "afternoon/PM," 三時 means "3 o'clock," and 半 means "half" — so 三時半 is 3:30, not 3:15. Together, the message says: "Let's meet at the station at 3:30 PM this coming Saturday." That's exactly what A states. B is wrong because 半 (はん) means half past, not a quarter past. A quarter past would be 三時十五分. This is a very common vocabulary trap — don't confuse 半 with 四分の一. C is wrong on two counts: 今度 carries no "morning nuance" whatsoever, and the message explicitly includes 午後, which specifies PM, not AM. Never assume a time is AM when 午後 is present. D is wrong because 今度 does not always mean "the following week." It means the nearest upcoming instance — context determines exactly when, and Tuesday-to-Saturday is close enough to be "this week." As a study tip, memorize the time vocabulary trio: 午前 (AM), 午後 (PM), and 半 (half past) — these appear constantly in Japanese time expressions and are frequent distractor targets.

Question 3

You receive this schedule note in Japanese: 「会議は三月みっかから六日まで毎日午前十時に始まります。」

How many meetings are scheduled in total, and at what time does each begin?

  1. Four meetings, each beginning at 10:00 AM, because みっか (3rd) through 六日 (6th) inclusive covers four days: the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. (correct answer)
  2. Three meetings, each beginning at 10:00 AM, because から〜まで in Japanese excludes the first day, covering only the 4th, 5th, and 6th.
  3. Four meetings, each beginning at 10:00 PM, because 午前十時 uses 午前, which is commonly mistaken for afternoon in formal business Japanese.
  4. Five meetings, each beginning at 10:00 AM, because から〜まで in Japanese is often interpreted to include one additional transition day beyond 六日.
Explanation: When reading Japanese date ranges and time expressions, you need to parse two things carefully: the scope of から〜まで and the meaning of 午前/午後. The pattern 〜から〜まで in Japanese is fully inclusive on both ends — it means "from X through Y," covering both endpoints and everything in between. In the sentence, 三月みっか（三日, the 3rd）から六日（the 6th）まで spans the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th — four days total. Since 毎日 means "every day" and 午前十時 means 10:00 AM, each of those four days has a meeting at 10:00 AM. This makes A correct. B is wrong because it applies an English-style exclusive interpretation to から〜まで, as if the starting point doesn't count. Japanese does not work this way — から marks the beginning inclusively, so the 3rd is fully part of the range. C is wrong because 午前 (ごぜん) means AM — literally "before noon" — not PM. 午後 (ごご) means PM. This is a critical vocabulary distinction, and mixing them up is a classic mistake on Japanese reading exams. D is wrong because there is no grammatical rule or convention in Japanese adding an extra "transition day" beyond the stated endpoint. まで simply means "up to and including," with no bonus day attached. Study tip: Memorize 午前 = AM and 午後 = PM as a paired set, and always treat から〜まで as inclusive on both ends — these two points alone will protect you from the most common traps in Japanese schedule-reading questions.

Question 4

Your Japanese host family tells you: 「夕食は七時ごろになりますよ。」Which of the following best describes what they are communicating about the dinner time?

  1. Dinner will be around 7:00 PM, with ごろ indicating the meal will begin at least 30 minutes after 7:00, since ごろ specifically means 'after the stated time.'
  2. Dinner will be exactly at 7:00 PM, with ごろ functioning as a politeness marker that softens the statement without changing the precision of the time.
  3. Dinner will be around 7:00 AM, since 夕食 refers to the first meal of the day in traditional Japanese households and ごろ confirms the approximate time.
  4. Dinner will be around 7:00 PM, with ごろ indicating an approximate time, so the actual meal could be slightly before or after 7:00. (correct answer)
Explanation: When reading Japanese sentences involving time, two things matter most: the vocabulary used to describe the meal or time of day, and any particles or suffixes that signal precision (or lack thereof). This question tests both. The word 「夕食」(ゆうしょく) means "evening meal" or "dinner" — 夕 (ゆう) literally means "evening," so the meal is definitively in the evening, not the morning. The key grammatical element here is 「ごろ」, which attaches to time expressions to indicate approximation. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent of "around" or "about." So 「七時ごろ」means "around 7:00," implying the actual time could fall a bit before or after — making D the correct answer. Choice A is wrong because ごろ does not mean "after" a stated time. It signals a general range in both directions — earlier or later — not a minimum delay of 30 minutes. That's a fabricated rule. Choice B is wrong because ごろ is not a politeness marker — it genuinely changes the meaning by removing precision. Confusing grammatical function with social function is a common trap. If the time were exact, the sentence would simply use 「七時に」. Choice C is wrong on two counts: 夕食 clearly refers to an evening meal, not breakfast, and nothing in Japanese grammar or tradition makes 七時 refer to AM in this context. Study tip: Memorize the contrast between 「に」(exact time marker) and 「ごろ」(approximate time). Exam questions frequently test whether you can distinguish these two — and knowing 夕/朝/昼 vocabulary for meal times will save you every time.

Question 5

A Japanese event flyer reads: 「イベントは十二月二十五日（木）から二十七日（土）まで開催されます。参加希望者は一週間前までに申し込んでください。」

By what date must participants register for the event?

  1. By Wednesday, December 17th, because 一週間前までに means the day before one week prior to the 25th, so the deadline falls on the 17th rather than the 18th.
  2. By Saturday, December 20th, because the deadline is one week before the event ends on December 27th, and subtracting seven days from the 27th gives the 20th.
  3. By Thursday, December 18th, because the deadline is one week before the event starts on December 25th, and subtracting seven days from the 25th gives the 18th. (correct answer)
  4. By Friday, December 19th, because 一週間前 is calculated from the midpoint of the event (December 26th), and one week before the 26th is the 19th.
Explanation: When reading Japanese event announcements, pay close attention to two things: which date serves as the reference point for a deadline, and what the deadline expression itself means. Here, 「一週間前までに申し込んでください」means "please register by one week before," and the natural reference point is when the event starts — December 25th. To find the deadline, simply subtract seven days from the 25th: 25 − 7 = December 18th. Since the passage states the event starts on a Thursday (木), counting back exactly seven days also lands on a Thursday — December 18th. This confirms C is correct. Here's why the other choices go wrong. A misreads 一週間前 as meaning the day before one week prior, essentially subtracting an extra day to reach the 17th. That's not how the expression works — 一週間前 means exactly seven days before, no additional subtraction needed. B anchors the deadline to the event's end date (December 27th), subtracting seven days to get the 20th. Nothing in the passage suggests the deadline is calculated from the closing date; 一週間前 refers to the event's start unless otherwise stated. D invents a "midpoint" calculation using December 26th, which has no grammatical or logical basis in the sentence whatsoever. As a study tip, whenever you see 〜前までに in Japanese scheduling contexts, identify the reference event first (usually the start of whatever is being discussed), then count back the stated interval. Don't overcomplicate it — the math is always straightforward once you anchor to the right date.

Question 6

You ask a Japanese coworker 「山田さんはいつ戻りますか。」 and she replies 「明後日の午後二時四十五分には戻るはずです。」 Today is Monday. Which of the following correctly identifies when Yamada-san is expected to return?

  1. Wednesday at 2:15 PM, because 午後二時四十五分 is parsed as 2 hours and 45 minutes before 3:00 PM, which equals 2:15 PM rather than 2:45 PM.
  2. Tuesday at 2:45 PM, because 明後日 is a contracted form of 明日 in casual speech, referring to tomorrow, and 午後二時四十五分 means 2:45 PM.
  3. Wednesday at 2:45 PM, because 明後日 means 'the day after tomorrow' (two days from Monday = Wednesday) and 午後二時四十五分 means 2:45 PM. (correct answer)
  4. Thursday at 2:45 PM, because 明後日 counts from the following morning rather than the current day, effectively meaning two days after tomorrow.
Explanation: When reading Japanese time expressions, you need to handle two components separately: the relative day word and the clock time. Breaking them apart makes questions like this much more manageable. 明後日 (あさって) means "the day after tomorrow" — a fixed, two-day jump from today. Since today is Monday, 明後日 = Wednesday. This is not a contraction, abbreviation, or flexible term; it is a standard vocabulary word distinct from 明日 (あした, "tomorrow"). The clock time 午後二時四十五分 breaks down as: 午後 (PM) + 二時 (2 o'clock) + 四十五分 (45 minutes) = 2:45 PM. Combining both components gives you Wednesday at 2:45 PM, confirming that C is correct. Looking at the wrong answers: A misinterprets 四十五分 as "45 minutes before the hour," treating it like a countdown rather than a direct reading. Japanese clock time is always additive — 二時四十五分 is simply 2:45, never 3:00 minus 0:45. B claims 明後日 is a casual contraction of 明日, which is false — these are two completely different words with distinct pronunciations and kanji (明日 vs. 明後日). This misreading shifts the day to Tuesday, one day too early. D invents a rule that 明後日 counts from "the following morning," adding an extra day to land on Thursday. No such counting convention exists in Japanese. A useful study habit: when you encounter Japanese time expressions, always identify the day word and clock time as separate vocabulary items before combining them. Mixing up 明日, 明後日, and 明々後日 (three days out) is a common trap worth drilling.

Question 7

A Japanese gym posts the following notice: 「営業時間：平日は午前六時から午後十時まで、週末は午前八時から午後八時まで。祝日は通常の週末と同じ時間です。」

You want to visit the gym at 9:00 PM on a national holiday (祝日) that falls on a Wednesday. Is the gym open, and why?

  1. The gym is open, because 祝日 falls on a Wednesday, which is a 平日, so weekday hours (6:00 AM–10:00 PM) apply and 9:00 PM is within those hours.
  2. The gym is closed, because 祝日 follows weekend hours (8:00 AM–8:00 PM), and 9:00 PM falls after the 8:00 PM closing time. (correct answer)
  3. The gym is open, because the notice states 祝日 follows weekend hours, and weekend hours extend to 10:00 PM, so 9:00 PM is within the operating hours.
  4. The gym is closed, because 祝日 that falls on a weekday defaults to standard weekday hours, and the gym closes at 8:00 PM on weekdays according to the notice.
Explanation: When reading Japanese notices with multiple conditions, your job is to identify which rule applies to your specific situation — and follow the explicit instructions in the text, not assumptions based on the calendar. The notice states three rules: 平日 (weekdays) use 6 AM–10 PM, 週末 (weekends) use 8 AM–8 PM, and critically, 「祝日は通常の週末と同じ時間です」— national holidays follow the same hours as weekends. This is an override clause. Regardless of which day of the week a 祝日 falls on, the gym explicitly assigns it weekend hours: 8 AM–8 PM. A 9:00 PM visit on that Wednesday holiday falls after the 8 PM closing time, so the gym is closed. B is correct. Choice A is a common trap — it assumes that because Wednesday is a 平日, weekday hours automatically apply. But the notice directly overrides this logic for holidays. Always let explicit rules beat calendar-based assumptions. Choice C misreads the weekend closing time; weekend hours end at 8 PM (午後八時), not 10 PM — that closing time belongs to weekdays only. Confusing the two schedules is an easy mistake when skimming. Choice D invents a rule entirely — it claims weekday hours include an 8 PM closing, which contradicts the notice (weekdays close at 10 PM), and also ignores the 祝日 override. The key strategy here: when a Japanese text explicitly reassigns a special category (like 祝日) to match another category's rules, that statement takes priority over any outside assumptions. Always find and apply the override before anything else.

Question 8

Keiko and her colleague Tanaka-san are trying to schedule a meeting. Keiko says: 「来週の水曜日はどうですか。」Tanaka-san replies: 「再来週なら大丈夫です。」They are having this conversation on Friday, November 3rd.

Based on the conversation, on which date did Tanaka-san say he is available?

  1. Wednesday, November 15th, because 再来週 refers to the week two weeks after the current week, placing Wednesday on the 15th. (correct answer)
  2. Wednesday, November 8th, because 再来週 refers to the week immediately following the current week, placing Wednesday on the 8th.
  3. Wednesday, November 22nd, because 再来週 refers to the week two weeks after next week, placing Wednesday on the 22nd.
  4. Wednesday, November 29th, because 再来週 refers to the week three weeks after the current week, placing Wednesday on the 29th.
Explanation: When working with Japanese time expressions, it helps to build a clear mental timeline. The key here is understanding the prefix system for weeks: 今週 (this week), 来週 (next week), and 再来週 (the week after next). The prefix 再 (さい) means "again" or "re-," signaling one additional step beyond the previous term. The conversation takes place on Friday, November 3rd. Keiko proposes 来週の水曜日 — next week's Wednesday. Counting forward, next week's Wednesday lands on November 8th. Tanaka-san declines and counters with 再来週なら大丈夫です, meaning "If it's the week after next, I'm free." Moving one full week beyond next week places us in the week of November 13th–19th, and Wednesday of that week is November 15th — making A the correct answer. Choice B confuses 再来週 with 来週, treating "the week after next" as simply "next week," which would give you November 8th — Keiko's original proposal, not Tanaka-san's counterproposal. Choice C misreads 再来週 as meaning two weeks beyond next week (three weeks total from now), which would land on November 22nd — that would actually be 再々来週 or simply described differently in natural Japanese. Choice D pushes even further to November 29th, which has no basis in any standard Japanese time expression here. A useful memory trick: count the number of 来 repetitions. 来週 = 1 step forward, 再来週 = 2 steps forward. This pattern helps you quickly place any time reference on a calendar without second-guessing yourself.

Question 9

A Japanese colleague asks: 「あさっての午後、お時間はありますか。」Today is Thursday, June 14th. Which day and time period is your colleague asking about?

  1. Saturday, June 16th, in the afternoon, because あさって means 'the day after tomorrow,' which is two days from Thursday the 14th. (correct answer)
  2. Friday, June 15th, in the afternoon, because あさって is commonly used to mean 'tomorrow' in casual spoken Japanese.
  3. Saturday, June 16th, in the morning, because 午後 refers to the morning hours before noon in formal Japanese business contexts.
  4. Sunday, June 17th, in the afternoon, because あさって counts the current day as day one, making the day after tomorrow June 17th.
Explanation: When reading Japanese time expressions, two key vocabulary items are being tested here: the word あさって and the time-of-day marker 午後. あさって (asatte) specifically means "the day after tomorrow" — not tomorrow, not three days from now. If today is Thursday, June 14th, then tomorrow is Friday the 15th, and the day after tomorrow is Saturday, June 16th. 午後 (gogo) means "afternoon," literally the period "after noon." So your colleague is asking whether you're free Saturday afternoon — making A the correct answer. Answer B is wrong on two counts: あさって never means "tomorrow" in any register of Japanese, casual or otherwise. "Tomorrow" is あした (ashita) or 明日 (asu). Confusing あさって with あした is a classic vocabulary mix-up to avoid. Answer C correctly identifies Saturday as the date but gets 午後 completely backwards — 午後 always means afternoon (post-noon), while morning is 午前 (gozen). The "formal business context" exception mentioned in C does not exist; 午後 is universally afternoon. Answer D misapplies the counting logic by treating Thursday as "day one," which would make Friday day two and Saturday day three, landing on Sunday. Japanese relative day words like あさって are counted from tomorrow, not today — あした is day one, あさって is day two. A quick memory tip: pair 午前/午後 with A.M./P.M. — 前 means "before" and 後 means "after," just like ante meridiem and post meridiem. Lock that in and you'll never mix them up.

Question 10

Your Japanese language partner says: 「先月の終わりごろから日本語を勉強しています。今は三月の初めです。」Which of the following best describes when your language partner began studying Japanese?

  1. Around early February, because 先月 means 'last month' and 終わりごろ is sometimes interpreted as 'around the beginning' since it marks the transition point to the next month.
  2. Around late February, because 先月 means 'last month' (the month before March is February), and 終わりごろ means 'around the end' of that month. (correct answer)
  3. Around late January, because 先月 refers to two months ago when the speaker uses 三月 as the reference, and 終わりごろ means 'around the end' of that earlier month.
  4. Around late March, because 先月 can indicate the upcoming month in conversational Japanese when the speaker is describing a future plan, and 終わりごろ means 'around the end.'
Explanation: When reading Japanese time expressions, breaking down each component separately before combining them is key. This question tests your understanding of two vocabulary items: 先月 (せんげつ) and 終わりごろ (おわりごろ). 先月 literally means "last month" — the month immediately before the current one. Since the speaker tells us 「今は三月の初めです」("Now it is the beginning of March"), last month is unambiguously February. 終わりごろ combines 終わり ("end") with ごろ ("around/approximately"), so it means "around the end of." Putting these together, 先月の終わりごろ = "around the end of last month" = around late February, which confirms B is correct. A is a trap because it misdefines 終わりごろ. The word 終わり clearly means "end," not "beginning." The idea that an endpoint "transitions" into the next month doesn't change the meaning of the word itself — late February is still February. C incorrectly redefines 先月. 先月 always means the month immediately before the current one — one month back, not two. Two months ago would be 先々月 (せんせんげつ). D invents a meaning that doesn't exist. 先月 cannot indicate a future or upcoming month in any context. The word for "next month" is 来月 (らいげつ). A useful memory tip: Japanese time words follow a logical prefix pattern — 先 (past), 来 (future), 今 (present). Remembering 先月 / 今月 / 来月 as a set will help you quickly decode time references on the exam.