Hours, minutes and the calendar · Usually met around P2
Telling the time to the minute
The hour hand's last number is the hour; minutes count in 5s.
How to do it
Method
The hour hand's last number is the hour; minutes count in 5s
Hour hand past 8, minute hand on 7: 8:35
Another way
Minutes to the next hour
60 − 25 = 35
In full
On a clock face the short hand is the hour hand and the long one the minute hand. Read the hour hand first: the number it has just passed is the hour; between 8 and 9 means some time after 8. Then the minute hand: each big step from 12 is 5 minutes, so count in fives, then the small marks: pointing at 7 is 5, 10, 15 … 35, so 35 minutes. In everyday Hong Kong Cantonese each number the minute hand points at is called a “character”, 5 minutes each: “three characters” is 15 minutes past, “nine characters” 45 minutes past. 8 hours 35 minutes shows as 8:35 on a digital clock. Or think backwards: the minute hand is 5 big steps from 12, 25 minutes to 9, and 60 − 25 = 35.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
The clock shows □ h □ min.
Fill in each box
Show the answer and working
Answer: 2，35
The hour hand has just passed 2; counting the minute hand in fives from 12 gives 35 minutes.
Example 2
A digital clock shows 05:44: that is □ h □ min.
Fill in each box
Show the answer and working
Answer: 5，44
Hours before the colon, minutes after it: 5 h 44 min.
Example 3
The clock shows 10:50.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: True
Counting the minute hand in fives gives 50, so it is 10:50.
Practise it in the game →Hours, minutes and the calendar · Free to start, unlimited questions, no download