時計
とけい
tokei
= clock / watch
時計 (tokei) means both clock and watch in Japanese — a single word covers both the wall-mounted version and the wrist-worn version, making it simpler than many languages. But Japan’s relationship with timekeeping goes far deeper than the vocabulary: Japan operates one of the most punctuality-obsessed cultures on Earth, and the humble tokei is its symbol.
Tokei refers to any timekeeping device: 置き時計 (oki-dokei — table/mantle clock), 掛け時計 (kake-dokei — wall clock), 目覚まし時計 (mezamashi-dokei — alarm clock), 腕時計 (ude-dokei — wristwatch), 懐中時計 (kaichuu-dokei — pocket watch). Note: the 時 changes to 時 (dokei) in compound forms where it follows another word. Common phrases: 時計を見る (tokei wo miru — to look at a clock/watch), 時計を合わせる (tokei wo awaseru — to set/synchronize a clock).
When asking what time it is in Japanese: 今何時ですか？(ima nanji desu ka? — What time is it now?). 時計が止まっている (tokei ga tomatte iru — the clock has stopped) is also a common practical phrase. 時計回り (tokei-mawari — clockwise) and 反時計回り (han-tokei-mawari — counterclockwise) use tokei as their reference point.
時 (toki/ji) means ‘time’ or ‘hour.’ 計 (kei/haka) means ‘to count,’ ‘to measure,’ or ‘a measuring instrument.’ Together: a time-measuring device — a clock or watch. The 計 character appears in many measuring instruments: 体温計 (taionkei — thermometer), 血圧計 (ketsuatsukei — blood pressure monitor), 雨量計 (uuryoukei — rain gauge).
Everyday use
朝は目覚まし時計が鳴る前に自然に目が覚める。
Asa wa mezamashi-dokei ga naru mae ni shizen ni me ga sameru.
In the morning I naturally wake up before the alarm clock goes off.
Casual / Social Media
電池切れで時計が止まってて遅刻した…最悪
Denchi kire de tokei ga tomatte te chikoku shita… saiaku
The battery died and the clock stopped so I was late… the worst
Formal / Cultural context
鉄道事業者は定時運行を運営の最優先事項とし、30秒以内の遅延でも社内規程上の遅延として管理・記録する体制を維持している。
Tetsudou jigyousha wa teiji unkou wo unei no sai-yuusen jikou toshi, sanjuubyou inai no chien demo shanai kitei-jou no chien toshite kanri kiroku suru taisei wo iji shite iru.
Railway operators maintain on-time operation as their top operational priority, with systems to manage and record even delays of under 30 seconds as official delays under internal regulations.
Japan’s relationship with time is famously exacting. Japanese trains are so reliably punctual that when a Shinkansen arrives even a minute late, a formal announcement and apology is made. The average delay of the Shinkansen bullet train network is under 1 minute annually — a level of precision that makes the 時計 (clock) a symbol of social obligation as much as a practical tool. Being on time in Japan is not a courtesy but a minimum standard; arriving slightly early (少し早め, sukoshi hayame) is the actual expectation in professional and formal social contexts.
Japanese watchmaking has a proud tradition of world-class precision. セイコー (Seiko), シチズン (Citizen), and カシオ (Casio) are major Japanese watch brands with international reputations. Seiko created the world’s first quartz watch in 1969 (アストロン, Asuton — Astron), which triggered the ‘quartz revolution’ that transformed the global watchmaking industry. Japan also produces the world’s most accurate radio-controlled clocks (電波時計, denpa dokei), which automatically synchronize to atomic time signals broadcast from government stations.
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