Schedules and Announcements

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to read and understand common written schedules (schedules, timetables) and public announcements (announcements, signs) in Japanese. You'll learn key vocabulary, time expressions, and sentence patterns used in these contexts.

In Japan, written schedules and announcements often use a mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. They are usually concise, using specific verbs and time markers. Understanding these patterns helps you navigate train stations, airports, schools, and workplaces. The core idea is to recognize the structure: Event / Time / Action.

1. Key Time Expressions for Schedules

Schedules rely on precise time words. Here are the most common ones:

2. Key Verbs for Schedules and Announcements

These verbs are the "action" part of a schedule or announcement.

3. Sentence Pattern for Schedules

The most common pattern is: [Time] に [Event/Action] ます/です。

• に marks the specific time.
• ます is the polite verb ending.
• です is used for nouns (e.g., "The meeting is at 3:00").

Examples:

• 会議は 3時から 始まります。
  Kaigi wa sanji kara hajimarimasu.
  (The meeting starts from 3 o'clock.)会議時始

  会議時始

• 電車は 8時15分に 出ます。
  Densha wa hachiji juugofun ni demasu.
  (The train departs at 8:15.)電車時分出

  電車時分出

• 図書館は 毎日9時に 開きます。
  Toshokan wa mainichi kuji ni akimasu.
  (The library opens at 9 every day.)図書館毎日時

  図書館毎日時

4. Sentence Pattern for Announcements

Announcements often use the ます form or the てください (please do) form. They are direct and informative.

Examples:

• 電車が まもなく 到着します。
  Densha ga mamonaku touchaku shimasu.
  (The train will arrive shortly.)電車到着

  電車到着

• 次の駅は 新宿です。
  Tsugi no eki wa Shinjuku desu.
  (The next station is Shinjuku.)次駅新宿

  次駅新宿

• ドアが 閉まります。ご注意ください。
  Doa ga shimarimasu. Gochuui kudasai.
  (The doors are closing. Please be careful.)閉注意

  閉注意

1. Train Schedule Sign:

   • 東京行き 10時30分発東京行時分発
   • Toukyou yuki juuji sanjuppun hatsu
   • (Departing for Tokyo at 10:30)
   東京行時分発

2. Store Hours Sign:

   • 営業時間: 午前10時 ～ 午後8時営業時間午前
   • Eigyou jikan: gozen juuji ~ gogo hachiji
   • (Business hours: 10:00 AM ~ 8:00 PM)
   営業時間午前

3. Event Announcement:

   • 明日のイベントは 中止になりました。明日中止
   • Ashita no ibento wa chuushi ni narimashita.
   • (Tomorrow's event has been cancelled.)
   明日中止

4. School Schedule:

   • 1限目: 9:00 ～ 9:50限目
   • Ichigemme: kuji ~ kuji gojuupun
   • (1st period: 9:00 ~ 9:50)
   限目

Mistake: Using に with words like 毎日 (mainichi), 毎週 (maishuu), or 今日 (kyou).毎日週今

Why it's wrong: These words already indicate a general time frame, not a specific point. The particle に is only used with specific clock times or days of the week.

Correct:

• 毎日 8時に 起きます。 (Mainichi hachiji ni okimasu.) - に is for the specific time "8:00", not for "every day".毎日時起
• 今日 は 休みです。 (Kyou wa yasumi desu.) - Use は for topic, not に.今日休

Incorrect:

• 毎日に 学校へ行きます。 (Mainichi ni gakkou e ikimasu.)毎日学校行

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list below.

Word Bank: に, から, まで, は, が

1. 映画 ___ 7時 ___ 始まります。
   Eiga wa shichi ji kara hajimarimasu.
   (The movie starts from 7 o'clock.)映画時始

   映画時始

2. 図書館 ___ 毎日9時 ___ 5時 ___ 開いています。
   Toshokan wa mainichi kuji kara goji made aiteimasu.
   (The library is open every day from 9 to 5.)図書館毎日時

   図書館毎日時

3. 次の電車 ___ 10分後に出ます。
   Tsugi no densha ga jippun go ni demasu.
   (The next train departs in 10 minutes.)次電車分後出

   次電車分後出

Answers:

1. は, から
2. は, から, まで
3. が

You have learned the essential vocabulary and sentence patterns for reading schedules and announcements in Japanese. You can now identify start/end times, departure/arrival times, and common verbs used in these contexts.

Next Step: Practice reading real Japanese train schedules or store hours online. Try to find the opening times of a museum or the departure time of a train to Tokyo. Then, move on to the next lesson on Directions and Locations to expand your ability to navigate in Japanese.