時計（とけい、tokei）
- clock/watch

The Japanese word 時計, pronounced とけい (tokei), primarily means "clock" or "watch." It refers to a device used for measuring and displaying time. This can include anything from wristwatches to wall clocks, grandfather clocks, and digital clocks. The meaning extends to the concept of timekeeping itself.

⚫︎ 私の時計は少し遅れています。 Translation: My watch is a little slow. ⚫︎ あの店の時計はいつも正確です。 Translation: That shop's clock is always accurate. ⚫︎ 彼は新しい時計を買った。 Translation: He bought a new watch.

You can use 時計 in various situations when talking about time. It's used for: ⚫︎ Describing the object itself: "I have a beautiful 時計." ⚫︎ Asking about the time: "Where is the 時計?" or using other time expressions. ⚫︎ Referring to the function of keeping time: "The 時計 is broken."

The word 時計 is typically written with the kanji 時計. The reading とけい is in hiragana. It is not generally written in katakana. There are no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ 時 (とき) - time (general term) ⚫︎ タイム - time (loanword) ⚫︎ 懐中時計 (かいちゅうどけい) - pocket watch ⚫︎ 腕時計 (うでどけい) - wristwatch ⚫︎ 目覚まし時計 (めざましどけい) - alarm clock

There aren't direct antonyms for 時計 as it refers to an object. Instead, you would use related words or phrases about not having a clock, being late, or time-related concepts: ⚫︎ 時間がない (じかんがない) - don't have time ⚫︎ 遅刻する (ちこくする) - to be late

この時計は電池が切れています。 ・Translation: This clock's battery is dead. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 時計 to refer to the clock and the current state.

毎朝、私は時計のアラームで起きます。 ・Translation: Every morning, I wake up to the alarm on my clock. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 時計 to describe how someone wakes up and refers to the alarm function.

The kanji 時 (ji) means "time" and the kanji 計 (kei) means "to measure" or "to calculate." Together, 時計 (tokei) literally means "time measurement" or "time-measuring device."