Episode 7 · JLPT N5
Japanese at the Train Station: What Time, Which Platform
Ask when, what time and which platform at a Japanese train station, catch the answer by ear, and learn the hours and the days of the week.
Did you catch it?
Listen to the conversation first, with no text, the way the video plays it. Then answer.
Now listen to the whole conversation. Yuki and Kenji are at the ticket window of their local station on a Saturday morning.
Which train do they take, and from which platform?
The conversation
会話Play any line again, or the whole scene. Tap a word to hear only that part. Hide the English to test yourself.
- Yuki
Excuse me! When is the cherry blossom festival?
- Hachi
The cherry blossom festival? From today until Sunday.
- Yuki
From what time?
- Hachi
It starts at eleven.
- Yuki
Then what time is the express to Sakura Park?
- Hachi
The express… um, that's eleven.
- Yuki
Huh? But that one says ten, doesn't it?
- Hachi
Ah, that's the weekday one. Today's Saturday, you see.
- Kenji
…Saturday.
- Yuki
And the festival's at eleven too…
- Kenji
Then what time is the local train?
- Hachi
The local is at ten.
- Yuki
Ten! …What time is it now?
- Kenji
Ten.
- Yuki
What! Which platform?
- Hachi
Platform two! Oh, the express is platform one.
- Yuki
Platform two! Thank you!
- Hachi
Have a good trip!
- Kenji
That way's platform one.
- Yuki
…Oh.
- Hachi
Platform two is this way!
Words in this scene
単語Key vocabulary introduced in this conversation. Tap any item to view its dictionary or grammar page.
- じゅうじten o'clock
- じゅういちじeleven o'clock
- どようびSaturday
- にちようびSunday
- きょうから にちようびまでfrom today until Sunday
- じゅういちじに はじまりますit starts at eleven
- おきをつけてtake care (said as you leave)
The lesson
What the video teaches, to read at your own pace.
Three questions at the station
- いつですか
- When is it?
- 何時ですか
- What time is it?
- 何番線ですか
- Which platform?
Three short questions do most of the work at a station. いつですか asks when something is, like a festival. 何時ですか asks what time something is, like a train. 何番線ですか asks which platform a train leaves from. All three end in ですか, the polite question.
Hours and days
- 十時
- ten o'clock
- 十一時
- eleven o'clock
- 土曜日
- Saturday
- 日曜日
- Sunday
Every time in this conversation is on the hour. じ after a number makes it o'clock, so 十時 is ten o'clock and 十一時 is eleven o'clock. Listen for the difference: the eleven has いち in the middle. Two days come up as well: 土曜日 is Saturday, and にちようび is Sunday.
Three lines to keep
- 今日から 日曜日まで
- from today until Sunday
- 十一時に 始まります
- it starts at eleven
- お気をつけて
- take care (said as you leave)
Three lines from the station are worth keeping. 今日から 日曜日まで means from today until Sunday: から marks where a stretch of time starts, and まで marks where it ends. 十一時に 始まります means it starts at eleven, and に pins the start to that time. お気をつけて is what the staff say as you leave: take care.