In Japanese, one of the most useful words for talking about “when something happens” is ～時（とき）. Whether you’re talking about when you eat, when you were a child, or when you meet friends, とき will be your go-to expression. Let’s break it down and see how to use it naturally.

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1. The Basic Meaning of ～時（とき）

とき means “when” or “at the time”.
It connects two parts of a sentence:

[Main action] happens when [another action/event] happens.

In English, we might say:

“When I’m tired, I drink coffee.”
“I met her when I was in college.”

In Japanese, this is expressed using とき after the phrase describing the “when” situation.

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2. The Basic Structure

Verb in plain form + とき
い-adjective + とき
な-adjective + な + とき
Noun + の + とき

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3. Examples by Form

A. With Verbs

1. Present/Future
   • 家いえにいるとき、本ほんを読よみます。
     When I’m at home, I read books.
2. Past
   • 日本にほんへ行いったとき、たくさん写真しゃしんを撮とりました。
     When I went to Japan, I took many pictures.

B. With い-Adjectives

• 暑あついとき、水みずをたくさん飲のみます。
  When it’s hot, I drink a lot of water.

C. With な-Adjectives

• 元気げんきなとき、よく散歩さんぽします。
  When I’m feeling energetic, I take walks often.

D. With Nouns

• 子こどものとき、よく公園こうえんで遊あそびました。
  When I was a child, I often played in the park.

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4. Choosing the Right Tense Before とき

The form before とき changes depending on whether the action is happening before or after the main event.

• Present form before とき → The “when” action happens at the same time as the main action.
  • 眠ねむいとき、コーヒーを飲のみます。
    When I’m sleepy, I drink coffee.
    
• Past form before とき → The “when” action happened before the main action.
  • 眠ねむかったとき、コーヒーを飲のみました。
    When I was sleepy, I drank coffee.

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5. Common Mistakes

1. Forgetting the right particle for nouns/adjectives
   ❌ 子どもとき
   ✅ 子どものとき
   
2. Mixing up past and present forms
   “When I went to Japan” = いったとき (past form)
   “When I go to Japan” = いくとき (present form)

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6. More Natural Examples

1. 日本にほんに行いくとき、パスポートを忘わすれないでください。
   When you go to Japan, don’t forget your passport.
   
2. パーティーのとき、赤あかいドレスを着きました。
   At the time of the party, I wore a red dress.
   
3. 雨あめのとき、外そとで遊あそびません。
   When it rains, I don’t play outside.
   
4. 忙いそがしいとき、メールを返かえせません。
   When I’m busy, I can’t reply to emails.

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7. Quick Recap

とき = “when” or “at the time”
Attach directly after a verb/adjective/noun (with の or な when needed)
Use present form before とき for simultaneous actions, past form for earlier events
Works for both talking about the present/future and the past

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8. Practice Challenge 🎯

Try making your own sentences using とき for these situations:

1. “When I’m tired, I …”
2. “When I was a student, I …”
3. “When it’s cold, I …”

Write them down and check if you used the right form before とき.words? Feel free to leave us questions in the comment section if you have any!

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