いつ

• 読み: いつ
• ローマ字: itsu
• 発音: /i.tsɯ/

意味

When; at what time; how soon. The interrogative word for time.

A fundamental question word for asking about time. Combines with particles and other words: いつから (since when), いつまで (until when), いつも (always), いつか (someday), いつでも (anytime). The kanji form 何時 is rarely used in modern writing. Extremely high frequency in daily conversation.

例文

1. いつ日本に来ましたか。
2. 誕生日はいつですか。
3. いつがいいですか。

使い方ガイド

場面: questions, scheduling, conversation

トーン: inquisitive

起源と歴史

From classical Japanese いつ, one of the oldest interrogative pronouns. The kanji 何時 is ateji, literally meaning 'what time.' The word predates the kanji representation.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal