～時

～じ · ～ji · JLPT N5 · noun

clock

🕒 時 = sun 日 + temple 寺: temple bells by the sun told the hour

時 combines 日 (sun, day) with 寺 (temple), which also supplies the reading ji. Temples once rang bells to mark the hours. Attach it to a number: 三時 (san-ji) = 3 o'clock. Sound hook: ji starts like the g in gee, what time is it?

～とき · ～toki · JLPT N5 · noun

at the time of ~

⏰ toki = time; X + toki = at the time of X, i.e. when X

時 is the kanji for time, built from 日 (sun, day) + 寺 (temple): temples once marked the hours of the day. Attached after a verb or noun, とき turns it into a when-clause: 子供の時 = at the time of being a child.

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