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Requesting a Wake-up Call by Molly Hakes

Many modern hotel rooms come equipped with a clock radio, making wake-up calls obsolete. Just in case the procedure for setting the alarm is confusing, it is good to have a backup plan. Conveniently, “wake-up call” in Japanese is mooningu kooru (“morning call”).

The Japanese word for “o'clock” is ji. Similar to references to time in English, ji is tacked on to a number word to indicate a certain time. Minutes are referred to as fun (but, remember the Japanese “f” sounds more like a breathy “h”) or pun, depending on the final sound of the number word.

Numbers in Reference to Minutes

Japanese Numbers	Minutes	English
juu-go	juu-go-hun	fifteen (minutes)
ni-juu yon	ni-juu yon-hun	twenty-four (minutes)
san-juu	san-juppun	thirty (minutes)
yon-juu roku	yon-juu-roppun	forty-six (minutes)
go-juu hachi	go-juu happun	fifty-eight (minutes)

Minutes that end in “one,” “three,” “six,” “eight,” or “zero” are cited as pun. Numbers that end in two, four, five, seven, and nine become hun. Similar to the English “half-past,” the half-hour time reference in Japanese is han.

Ima wa roku-ji desu.

It is now six o'clock.

Gakkoo wa hachi-ji kara hajimarimasu.

School starts at 8:00.

Ima wa san-ji ni-fun desu.

It is now 3:02.

Shichi-ji juppun ni okimashita.

I woke up at 7:10.

Tsugi no densha wa juu-ji ni-juu san-pun ni kimasu.

The next train will come at 10:23.

Kono basu wa yo-ji-han ni eki ni tsukimasu.

This bus arrives at the train station at 4:30.

A Sample Request

Requests for wake-up calls can be made by phone or, if you feel more comfortable speaking face-to-face, by going to the front desk in person.

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="0" align="left"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Guest:</B></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>Mooningu kooru o onegai shimasu</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><para/></td> <td><p>I would like to request a wake-up call.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Hotel Clerk:</B></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>Nan-ji ga yoroshii desu ka</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><para/></td> <td><p>What time would you like the call ?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Guest:</B></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>Asa no go-ji-han ni onegai shimasu</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><para/></td> <td><p>I would like it for 5:30 <emphasis role="Smallcaps">A.M.</emphasis></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Hotel Clerk:</B></p></td> <td><p><emphasis>Hai, asa no go-ji-han desu ne. Kashikomarimashita</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><para/></td> <td><p>Right, 5:30 <emphasis role="Smallcaps">A.M.</emphasis> I will take care of it.</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table>  <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/japanese/negotiating-a-good-nights-sleep/checking-in-and-out.htm" title="Checking In and Out">Checking In and Out</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/japanese/negotiating-a-good-nights-sleep/room-service-and-midnight-snacks.htm" title="Room Service and Midnight Snacks">Room Service and Midnight Snacks</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/japanese/negotiating-a-good-nights-sleep/requesting-a-wake-up-call.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Requesting a Wake-up Call - Japanese </a></li> <li><a href="http://japanese.about.com/od/namikosbloglessons/a/lesson36.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Okosama-ranchi </a></li> <li><a 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