What Time Is It in Different Languages? Ways to Ask Around the World

Knowing how to ask “what time is it?” in another language is one of the most useful phrases for travelers, language learners, and anyone communicating internationally.

if you are checking the time at a train station, arranging an online meeting, or simply practicing a new language, this simple question can make everyday conversations much easier.

Below, you’ll find what time is it in all languages in a practical, easy-to-scan format. Each entry includes the native phrase, an easy English pronunciation, a natural example sentence, and the English meaning.

What Time Is It in Different Languages?

The following table covers 70 languages from different regions of the world. Pronunciations are simplified for English speakers, so they are intended as practical guides rather than exact phonetic transcriptions.

#	Language	Correct native phrase	Easy English pronunciation	Real-life example sentence	English meaning
1	English	What time is it?	wuht taim iz it	Excuse me, what time is it?	Asking someone for the current time.
2	Spanish	¿Qué hora es?	kay OR-ah es	Perdón, ¿qué hora es?	Excuse me, what time is it?
3	French	Quelle heure est-il ?	kel UR eh-TEEL	Excusez-moi, quelle heure est-il ?	Excuse me, what time is it?
4	German	Wie spät ist es?	vee shpayt ist es	Entschuldigung, wie spät ist es?	Excuse me, what time is it?
5	Italian	Che ore sono?	kay OR-eh SOH-no	Scusi, che ore sono?	Excuse me, what time is it?
6	Portuguese	Que horas são?	kay OR-ahz sow	Desculpe, que horas são?	Excuse me, what time is it?
7	Dutch	Hoe laat is het?	hoo laat iz het	Pardon, hoe laat is het?	Excuse me, what time is it?
8	Swedish	Vad är klockan?	vahd air KLOK-an	Ursäkta, vad är klockan?	Excuse me, what time is it?
9	Norwegian	Hva er klokka?	vah air KLOK-ah	Unnskyld, hva er klokka?	Excuse me, what time is it?
10	Danish	Hvad er klokken?	veh air KLOK-en	Undskyld, hvad er klokken?	Excuse me, what time is it?
11	Finnish	Paljonko kello on?	PAL-yon-ko KEL-lo on	Anteeksi, paljonko kello on?	Excuse me, what time is it?
12	Icelandic	Hvað er klukkan?	kvath air KLU-kan	Afsakið, hvað er klukkan?	Excuse me, what time is it?
13	Irish	Cén t-am é?	kayn tom ay	Gabh mo leithscéal, cén t-am é?	Excuse me, what time is it?
14	Welsh	Faint o’r gloch yw hi?	fainte or glohk yoo hee	Esgusodwch fi, faint o’r gloch yw hi?	Excuse me, what time is it?
15	Scottish Gaelic	Dè an uair a tha e?	jay an oo-er a ha eh	Dè an uair a tha e a-nis?	What time is it now?
16	Polish	Która jest godzina?	KTOO-ra yest go-JEE-na	Przepraszam, która jest godzina?	Excuse me, what time is it?
17	Czech	Kolik je hodin?	KO-lik yeh HO-din	Promiňte, kolik je hodin?	Excuse me, what time is it?
18	Slovak	Koľko je hodín?	KOL-ko yeh HO-deen	Prepáčte, koľko je hodín?	Excuse me, what time is it?
19	Slovenian	Koliko je ura?	ko-LEE-ko yeh OO-ra	Oprostite, koliko je ura?	Excuse me, what time is it?
20	Croatian	Koliko je sati?	ko-LEE-ko yeh SAH-tee	Oprostite, koliko je sati?	Excuse me, what time is it?
21	Serbian	Колико је сати?	KO-lee-ko yeh SAH-tee	Извините, колико је сати?	Excuse me, what time is it?
22	Bulgarian	Колко е часът?	KOL-ko eh cha-SUT	Извинете, колко е часът?	Excuse me, what time is it?
23	Macedonian	Колку е часот?	KOL-koo eh CHA-sot	Извинете, колку е часот?	Excuse me, what time is it?
24	Russian	Который час?	ka-TO-ryy chas	Извините, который час?	Excuse me, what time is it?
25	Ukrainian	Котра година?	ko-TRA ho-DY-na	Перепрошую, котра година?	Excuse me, what time is it?
26	Belarusian	Колькі часу?	KOL-kee CHA-soo	Прабачце, колькі часу?	Excuse me, what time is it?
27	Lithuanian	Kiek valandų?	kyek va-LAN-doo	Atsiprašau, kiek valandų?	Excuse me, what time is it?
28	Latvian	Cik ir pulkstenis?	tsik eer POOLK-ste-nis	Atvainojiet, cik ir pulkstenis?	Excuse me, what time is it?
29	Estonian	Mis kell on?	mis kell on	Vabandust, mis kell on?	Excuse me, what time is it?
30	Hungarian	Hány óra van?	HAHN-y OH-ra van	Elnézést, hány óra van?	Excuse me, what time is it?
31	Romanian	Cât e ceasul?	kut eh CHAS-ool	Scuzați-mă, cât e ceasul?	Excuse me, what time is it?
32	Albanian	Sa është ora?	sa UH-shet OH-ra	Më falni, sa është ora?	Excuse me, what time is it?
33	Greek	Τι ώρα είναι;	tee OH-ra EE-ne	Συγγνώμη, τι ώρα είναι;	Excuse me, what time is it?
34	Turkish	Saat kaç?	sah-AHT kach	Affedersiniz, saat kaç?	Excuse me, what time is it?
35	Armenian	Ժամը քանիսն է?	ZHA-muh ka-NEES-n eh	Կներեք, ժամը քանիսն է?	Excuse me, what time is it?
36	Georgian	რომელი საათია?	ro-ME-li saa-TEE-a	უკაცრავად, რომელი საათია?	Excuse me, what time is it?
37	Arabic	كم الساعة؟	kam as-SA-ah	عفواً، كم الساعة؟	Excuse me, what time is it?
38	Hebrew	מה השעה?	mah ha-SHA-ah	סליחה, מה השעה?	Excuse me, what time is it?
39	Persian	ساعت چند است؟	SA-at chand ast	ببخشید، ساعت چند است؟	Excuse me, what time is it?
40	Urdu	کیا وقت ہوا ہے؟	kya waqt hua hai	معاف کیجیے، کیا وقت ہوا ہے؟	Excuse me, what time is it?
41	Hindi	कितने बजे हैं?	KIT-ne ba-JAY hain	माफ़ कीजिए, कितने बजे हैं?	Excuse me, what time is it?
42	Bengali	কয়টা বাজে?	KOY-ta BA-je	মাফ করবেন, কয়টা বাজে?	Excuse me, what time is it?
43	Punjabi	ਕਿੰਨੇ ਵਜੇ ਹਨ?	KIN-ne va-JAY han	ਮਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨਾ, ਕਿੰਨੇ ਵਜੇ ਹਨ?	Excuse me, what time is it?
44	Gujarati	કેટલા વાગ્યા?	KET-la VAG-ya	માફ કરશો, કેટલા વાગ્યા?	Excuse me, what time is it?
45	Marathi	किती वाजले?	KI-tee VAJ-le	माफ करा, किती वाजले?	Excuse me, what time is it?
46	Nepali	कति बज्यो?	ka-TEE BAJ-yo	माफ गर्नुहोस्, कति बज्यो?	Excuse me, what time is it?
47	Tamil	மணி என்ன?	MA-ni EN-na	மன்னிக்கவும், மணி என்ன?	Excuse me, what time is it?
48	Telugu	సమయం ఎంత?	sa-MA-yam EN-ta	క్షమించండి, సమయం ఎంత?	Excuse me, what time is it?
49	Kannada	ಸಮಯ ಎಷ್ಟು?	sa-MA-ya ESH-tu	ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ, ಸಮಯ ಎಷ್ಟು?	Excuse me, what time is it?
50	Malayalam	സമയം എത്രയായി?	sa-MA-yam et-ra-YA-yi	ക്ഷമിക്കണം, സമയം എത്രയായി?	Excuse me, what time is it?
51	Sinhala	වෙලාව කීයද?	we-LA-wa kee-YA-da	සමාවෙන්න, වෙලාව කීයද?	Excuse me, what time is it?
52	Mandarin Chinese	现在几点？	syen-ZAI jee-an dyan	请问，现在几点？	Excuse me, what time is it now?
53	Cantonese	而家幾點？	yi-GA gay-DEEM	唔該，而家幾點？	Excuse me, what time is it now?
54	Japanese	今何時ですか？	ee-ma NAN-jee des-ka	すみません、今何時ですか？	Excuse me, what time is it now?
55	Korean	지금 몇 시예요?	jee-geum myut she-ye-yo	실례합니다, 지금 몇 시예요?	Excuse me, what time is it now?
56	Vietnamese	Mấy giờ rồi?	may zoh roy	Xin lỗi, mấy giờ rồi?	Excuse me, what time is it?
57	Thai	ตอนนี้กี่โมง?	ton-NEE gee-MOHNG	ขอโทษครับ/ค่ะ ตอนนี้กี่โมง?	Excuse me, what time is it now?
58	Indonesian	Jam berapa?	jam beh-RA-pa	Permisi, jam berapa?	Excuse me, what time is it?
59	Malay	Pukul berapa?	poo-KOOL beh-RA-pa	Maaf, pukul berapa?	Excuse me, what time is it?
60	Filipino	Anong oras na?	ah-NONG OH-ras na	Excuse me, anong oras na?	Excuse me, what time is it?
61	Swahili	Ni saa ngapi?	nee SAH nga-PEE	Samahani, ni saa ngapi?	Excuse me, what time is it?
62	Afrikaans	Hoe laat is dit?	hoo laat is dit	Verskoon my, hoe laat is dit?	Excuse me, what time is it?
63	Amharic	ስንት ሰዓት ነው?	sint SE-at new	ይቅርታ፣ ስንት ሰዓት ነው?	Excuse me, what time is it?
64	Somali	Saacaddu waa imisa?	saa-ahd-doo waa ee-MEE-sa	Raalli ahow, saacaddu waa imisa?	Excuse me, what time is it?
65	Hausa	Wani lokaci ne?	WA-nee lo-KA-chee neh	Don Allah, wani lokaci ne?	Please, what time is it?
66	Yoruba	Àkókò mélòó ni?	ah-KOH-koh meh-LOH nee	Jọ̀wọ́, àkókò mélòó ni?	Please, what time is it?
67	Zulu	Isikhathi sini?	ee-see-KHA-tee-lee SEE-nee	Uxolo, isikhathi sini?	Excuse me, what time is it?
68	Xhosa	Ngubani ixesha?	noo-BAH-nee ee-KHE-sa	Uxolo, ngubani ixesha?	Excuse me, what time is it?
69	Malagasy	Amin’ny firy izao?	ah-MEEN nee FEER ee ZOW	Azafady, amin’ny firy izao?	Excuse me, what time is it now?
70	Māori	He aha te wā?	heh AH-ha teh wah	Tēnā koa, he aha te wā?	Please, what time is it?

How to Say “What Time Is It?” in Different Languages

The most common translations are usually short because asking for the time is an everyday conversation. Many languages use a structure equivalent to “What time is it?”, while others literally ask about the hour, clock, or current time.

For example, Spanish uses ¿Qué hora es?, French uses Quelle heure est-il ?, German uses Wie spät ist es?, and Japanese uses 今何時ですか？. Although the sentence structures differ, they all serve the same practical purpose.

When learning what time is it in different languages, it is helpful to learn both the question and a few basic time expressions. Knowing words for “morning,” “afternoon,” “evening,” “today,” and “now” can make the phrase much more useful in real conversations.

What Time Is It in All Languages: Useful Patterns

There is no single grammatical pattern used around the world. Different languages describe time in different ways.

Some languages focus directly on the hour. Others use a phrase meaning “how late is it?” or “how many hours is it?” This is why literal translations can sometimes sound unusual in English.

For language learners, the most important thing is to remember the natural native phrase, rather than translating the English sentence word for word.

“What Time Is It?” Translations Around the World

The phrase appears in many forms across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific.

In several European languages, the sentence resembles the English structure. Spanish asks ¿Qué hora es?, Italian uses Che ore sono?, and Portuguese uses Que horas são?

Across South Asia, the wording can be different. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, and Nepali commonly use expressions based on asking how many hours or which hour it is.

East Asian languages also have their own natural structures. Mandarin Chinese asks 现在几点？, Japanese uses 今何時ですか？, and Korean uses 지금 몇 시예요?

These differences make what time is it around the world an interesting example of how languages express the same everyday idea in different ways.

Why Learn “What Time Is It?” in Another Language?

Learning this phrase has practical value because it is useful in many everyday situations.

You may need it when traveling, catching public transportation, meeting someone, attending an event, checking into accommodation, or coordinating an international appointment.

It is also an excellent beginner phrase because it introduces learners to basic vocabulary related to numbers, hours, clocks, and daily routines.

If you are studying a language for travel, learning this phrase alongside “thank you,” “excuse me,” “where is it?” and “how much does it cost?” gives you a useful foundation for simple conversations.

Tips for Using Time Phrases Naturally

Pronunciation matters, but communication does not have to be perfect. If you are speaking with a native speaker, focus first on saying the key words clearly.

It is also useful to listen for how people actually answer. A person might give an exact time, use a phrase such as “half past,” or describe the approximate time as “around eight.”

In some languages, formal and informal versions may differ. The examples in the table favor common conversational forms, but local usage can vary by region, age, and situation.

For travelers, practicing the complete exchange is more useful than memorizing the question alone: ask for the time, understand the answer, and know how to thank the person afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you say “what time is it?” in different languages?

The phrase has different forms depending on the language. Examples include ¿Qué hora es? in Spanish, Quelle heure est-il ? in French, Wie spät ist es? in German, 今何時ですか？ in Japanese, and كم الساعة؟ in Arabic.

2. What is the easiest language in which to say “what time is it?”

There is no universal easiest language because pronunciation and grammar depend on the learner’s native language. For English speakers, languages with familiar vocabulary or straightforward sentence structures may feel easier to learn.

3. How do you say “what time is it?” in all languages?

There are thousands of languages and varieties worldwide, so it is not practical to list every language. This guide provides 70 widely spoken or culturally significant languages and their commonly used expressions.

4. Why are “what time is it?” translations different from one language to another?

Languages organize ideas differently. Some ask directly about the hour, while others use expressions related to lateness, the clock, or the number of hours. A natural translation therefore does not always follow the English word order.

5. Is the pronunciation in these translations exact?

The pronunciations are simplified guides designed for English speakers. They can help beginners get close to the native pronunciation, but listening to native speakers and practicing the sounds is the best way to improve accuracy.

Conclusion

Learning how to say what time is it in different languages is a simple way to build practical communication skills. From Spanish and French to Hindi, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Swahili, and Māori, the same everyday question takes many interesting forms around the world.

Use the 70 translations above as a starting point for travel, language study, international communication, or simple cultural exploration. Learning one phrase at a time can make a new language feel much more approachable.

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