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とき (toki) Meaning Japanese Grammar - When

Author Anna Baffa Volpe for article 'とき (toki) Meaning Japanese Grammar - When'

Anna Baffa Volpe

The noun とき (toki) means time, period, moment, age, hour and also has the meaning of when with the function of a conjunction used in time clauses.

We learn in this post the difference in usage and meaning of とき written in Hiragana and (とき) transcribed in Kanji according to Japanese official texts and how they are actually used in everyday life.

We analyse together the various cases in which とき is used through real examples and material on the internet.


Differences between (とき) and とき

とき transcribed in Kanji (とき) is mainly used as a noun in its meaning of time, moment, period.

やるなら、(いま)(とき)しかない。

If you want to do it, now is the time.

A popular ことわざ proverb:

  • (とき)(かね)なり: "Time is money".
  • (とき)をまつ: waiting for the (right) time

とき transcribed in Hiragana instead expresses a condition, a situation; it is translated with the temporal conjunction when and in some cases with the hypothetical conjunction if.

Let's see the difference through 2 examples:

  1. (とき)(なが)れ:the passing of time; use as a noun
  2. (こま)ったとき: when / if I am in trouble; from the verb (こま)る in the past tense (こま)った; use as conjunction

Other examples of とき:

  • ()けないときは: when / if I cannot go there
  • いざというときは: it is a common Japanese expression that means in case of need, in case of emergency

とき as a conjunction can be replaced by the structure ()(あい)は.

()けないときは becomes ()けない()(あい)は: in case I cannot go

()(あい)は (baai wa) means if, in the case of, in some cases.

These are the main differences that we read in the official texts. However, we can also find the Kanji (とき) when it has a conjunction function in time clauses.

When とき is used

とき is used to express the moment at which certain states exist or certain actions occur.

とき links two sentences: it expresses in the subordinate clause the moment when the state or action described in the main clause occurs.

Verb+とき+phrase
Noun++とき+phrase
い adjective+とき+phrase
な adjective+とき+phrase

(てん)()がいいとき、ジョギングします。

When the weather is good, I go jogging.

とき preceded by the verb in the present tense

The verb preceding とき is in plain form and can be in the present or past tense.

First case: Time Clause 1 with とき and Main Clause 2 are in the present tense.

(こう)(ちゃ)()とき、ミルクと()(とう)()れます。

When I drink tea, add milk and sugar.

やり(かた)()からない(とき)は、(わたし)()いてください。

If you don't know how to do it, just ask me.

The use of the present tense often represents habitual actions.

(ひま)とき、いつもゲームをします。

In my spare time, I always play games.

とき expresses the time when the action takes place and depending on the sentence, can be translated as 'before' or 'after'.

(はん)()べるとき、「いただきます」といいます。

Before eating, we say 'Itadakimasu'.

Second case: Time Clause 1 with とき in the present tense and Main Clause 2 in the past tense.

チケットを()(やく)するとき(でん)()(ばん)(ごう)(ひつ)(よう)でした。

When booking tickets, a phone number was required.

Literally: it was necessary (to communicate) the telephone number

とき preceded by the verb in the past tense

In this case とき is preceded by the past tense form and the Main Clause can be in the present or past tense.

First case: Time Clause 1 with とき in the past tense and Main Clause 2 in the present tense.

(わす)(もの)をしたとき(いえ)()りに(かえ)ります。

When I forget something, I go home to get it.

The action in Time clause 1 with とき occurs before the action in the Main Clause 2:

⇨ I forgot something, I go home and get it.

(はん)()べたとき、「ごちそうさま」といいます。

When we have eaten, we say 'Go chisō sama'.

Second case: Time Clause 1 with とき in the past tense and Main Clause 2 in the past tense.

日本(にほん)のおでんを()べたとき、とてもおいしくて(かん)(どう)しました。

When I ate Japanese ramen, I was so impressed by how delicious it was.

In this case both actions occur in a past time.

Examples of とき

(つか)れたときは、(やす)んでください。

When you feel tired, please rest.

21(さい)とき日本(にほん)()ました。

I came to Japan when I was 21 years old.

Here is a sentence from a website that provides psychological support to mothers in the communication with their children.

I can't ask for help when I'm in trouble. I can't explain what I'm struggling with.
(こま)ったときに: when you are in trouble

(こま)ったとき()(ぶん)から()けない。(こま)ったことを(せつ)(めい)できない。

I can't ask for help when I'm in trouble. I can't explain what I'm struggling with.

In the previous 2 sentences we find the use of 2 potential forms expressed by the suffixes れる / られる and by the verb できる.

  • ()けない can't ask
  • (せつ)(めい)できない: can't explain
What to do if you delete your Instagram account and forget your password.
インスタのアカウント: Instagram account

インスタのアカウント(さく)(じょ)でパスワードを(わす)れたとき(たい)(しょ)(ほう)

What to do if you delete your Instagram account and forget your password.

とき formally is a noun, so it can be followed by particles.

The literal translation of the last sentence is: 'Solution method (対処法) in the case you deleted your Instagram account and forgot your password'.

Sentence from a Japanese essay:

When the results are good, it is attributed to others. When the results are bad, it is attributed to oneself.
(わる)(もの)となる: become nasty, become the bad guy

(けっ)()がよかった(とき)は、(ひと)(せい)(せき)に。(わる)かった(とき)は、()(ぶん)(あく)(しゃ)となる。

When the results are good, it is attributed to others. When the results are bad, it is attributed to oneself.

We can also translate as: "When the results are good, it is thanks to others. When they are bad it is our fault.

As I mentioned in the post, we can also find とき in Kanji (とき) when it functions as a conjunction in the time clause.