Structure
Verb + とき
［い］Adjective + とき
［な］Adjective + な + とき
Noun + の + とき
Details
Register
Standard
使用域
一般
About とき
Using とき is quite easy! You just need to attach it to the end of any independent word (verbs, nouns, or adjectives). As with most cases where you will attach a noun to another word in Japanese, we will also be required to use な after な-Adjectives, and の after nouns.
- 狭い駐車場で車のドアを開けたときにドアを壁にぶつけた。When I opened my car door in a small parking lot, I slammed it on the wall. (Individual event)
- 暑い時はエアコンを点けましょう。When it is hot, let's turn on the air conditioner. (Broad time)
- 彼は暇なときに本を読みます。He reads books when he is bored. (Hobby)
- 雨の時は家でゴロゴロしています。When it rains, I laze around in my house. (Habit)
- 昨日、学校から家に帰ってた時に木の根っこにつまづいて、足を痛めた。Yesterday, when I was going home from school, I tripped on a tree root and hurt my foot. (Too specific, another grammar point will work better)
- 俺が高校生の時に俺が好きな女の子に告白して、「え、無理...」って言われた。When I was in highschool I asked out a girl I liked, and she said 'umm, no way…' (時 is describing the broad event of 'being a highschool student', while て is describing a single event that happened during that time.
Synonyms
際に
When, At the time of, In case of, On the occasion of
Not studied yet
と同時に
At the same time as, The instant, The moment, As well as
Not studied yet
の間に
While, During, Between, Period
Not studied yet
中
During, While, Throughout, In the process of
Not studied yet
最中に
In the middle of
Not studied yet
ながら
While ~ing, During, As
Not studied yet
ているあいだに
While, During the time that ~
Not studied yet
ているところだ
In the process of doing ~ right now/at this moment
Not studied yet
うちに
While, During
Not studied yet
ことがある
Something is possible, Sometimes, Occasionally, There are times when
Not studied yet
ごろ
Around, About
Not studied yet
折には
when, occasion, opportunity, time
Not studied yet
Examples
散歩をするときに音楽を聴く。
I listen to music when I take a walk.
私はカラオケに行くときに楽しめます。
When I go to karaoke, I can have fun.
授業のときは静かにしなくてはいけない。
When you are having class, you have to be quiet.
あの映画を見たとき、泣いた。
When I watched that movie, I cried.
大変なときに彼の親は亡くなった。
His parents died when he was going through a difficult time.
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
Use とき
JapaneseAmmo
When: 時
Imabi
"IF" / "WHEN" （と vs たら vs とき) Differences ┃PART1 & 2
Japanese Ammo
Offline
Genki II 1st Edition
Page 78
みんなの日本語 I
Page 146 [CH 23]
Genki II 2nd Edition
Page 104
みんなの日本語 II
Page 24 [CH 28]
Marugoto Elementary 2 (A2) Rikai
Page 58
Marugoto Elementary 1 (A2) Rikai
Page 34
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 13 & 490
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 114
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
とき – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (8 in total)
Klaboon
About 9 months ago
Simply put,「に」in this situation is just used to emphasize「時」.
Arwin1
About 23 days ago
狭い駐車場で車のドアを開けたときにドアを壁にぶつけた。
When I opened my car door in a small parking lot, I slammed it on the wall. (Individual event)This example sentence from the grammar point uses とき for an individual event and is marked as such. The rest of the grammar point explains that:
"[…] What this means is that it will not be used to discuss very specific events. For example ‘the time you tripped over a log and hurt your foot’. "
So why is とき used here anyway? Feels like a strange example to me.
Dorade
About 22 days ago
Yes I asked myself the same question, it does say that とき is used for broad periods and not specific events
Got questions about とき? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion