1. に (ni) 2. から (kara) 3. まで 4. までに 5. から…まで (kara … made) |
6. より (yori) 7. ほど (hodo) 8. くらい, ぐらい (kurai, gurai) 9. ころ, ごろ (koro, goro) 10. ばかり (bakari) |
1. に (ni)
Used after words indicating the specific point in time (e.g., “three o’clock”) at which—or a interval (e.g., “one week”) during which—an action takes place. English equivalent: “at.”
i)
Tomorrow’s meeting will start at 3:00.
ii) 1
I go to have a piano lesson once a week.
Some words that indicate time do not take に (ni). For example,
Days (
日 ): yesterday (昨日 ), today (今日 ), tomorrow (明日 )Weeks (
週 ): last week (先週 ), this week (今週 ), next week (来週 )Months (
月 ): last month (先月 ), this month (今月 ), next month (来月 )
i)
There have been a lot of cold days this week.
ii)
I’m going to make a trip abroad next month.
Some words indicating time can either take に (ni) or not take it. For example,
Seasons (
季節 ): spring (春 ), summer (夏 ), fall (秋 ), winter (冬 )
i)
I’ll be in Tokyo in winter, but I will go to Hawaii in summer.
ii)
I was in Korea last fall.
2. から(kara)
Indicates the point in time from which an action com-mences. から is sometimes interchangeable with に, but even then it places more emphasis on the starting point (see third sample below, where から could be replaced by に). English equivalents: “from,” “at.”
i)
School starts at 8:30.
ii)
You can vote from the age of twenty.
iii)
Tomorrow’s meeting will start from 3:00
3. まで (made)
Indicates the time at which a continuous action comes to an end , or the moment at which something occurs (such as when one gets tired) that brings a continuous action to an end. English equivalents: “until.”
i)
The meeting continued until 3:30.
ii)
Yesterday I worked until late.
iii)
Let’s run until we’re tired out.
4. までに (made ni)
Indicates the time by which something will or must be finished . までに is basically setting a time limit, whereas まで (3) is simply stating the fact that something continued from this point in time to that. The two are most easily distinguished by remem-bering their English equivalents. English equivalent: “by.”
i)
Meet up at the airport by 10:00 tomorrow.
ii) この
I have to make a copy of this document by noon.
5. から … まで (kara … made)
A combination of から (2) and まで (3). Indicates the starting point and ending point of an interval of time during which an action takes place. English equivalent: “from … to.”
i)
Work/my job is from Monday to Friday.
ii) デパートは10時から8時まで開いています。
The department store is open from 10:00 to 8:00.
6. より (yori)
Like から (2), indicates the point in time from which an action commences, but より has a more formal or official sound. English equivalent: “from.”
i)
The President’s press conference will be held from 3:00.
ii)
The ceremony to welcome new employees is scheduled to be held from 10:00 until 11:30 A.M.
7. ほど (hodo)
Indicates an approximate amount of time , with the slight connotation that the figure given is the maximum. It has a formal ring to it. English equivalent: “approximately.”
i)
Due to an accident, the train will be approximately 30 minutes late.
ii) 今
I am leaving the office now, so I will arrive there (where you are) in approximately 15 minutes.
8. くらい, ぐらい (kurai, gurai)
Indicates an approximate amount of time , with the slight connotation that the figure given is the minimum. This particle does not have the formal sound of ほど (7). くらい and ぐらい are interchangeable. English equivalent “about,” “around.”
i)
It takes about 40 minutes from home to the office.
ii)
The work will be finished in another five minutes or so, so please wait a bit longer.
9. ころ, ごろ (koro, goro)
Indicates approximation when referring to a point in time . The two particles are largely interchangeable. Compare this with に (1), which indicates an exact point in time, and くらい, ぐらい (8) which indicate an approximate amout of time. English equivalents: “around,” “about.”
i) 3時ごろ、そちらに伺います。
I will call on you around 3:00.
ii)
I get up every morning around 6:00.
10. ばかり (bakari)
Follows a verb in the past tense and indicates that an action has just been concluded . English equivalent: “just.”
i)
A:遅れました。お待たせして、すみません。
B:いいえ、私も今来たばかりです。
A:I am sorry to be late and to keep you waiting.
B:Don’t mention it. I have just arrived myself.
ii)
I just finished cleaning and here you are already making a mess.