The two hands
An analogue clock has two hands that point to different things:
- The hour hand, short and thick, points to the hours. It makes one full trip round the face in 12 hours — it moves very slowly.
- The minute hand, long and thin, points to the minutes. It makes one full trip in 60 minutes, so in just 1 hour — it moves fast.
Reading an o'clock time
An "o'clock" time is the easiest to read: the minute hand sits exactly on the 12, and the hour hand points straight at a number.
Minute hand on 12, hour hand on 3 → it's 3 o'clock
Method: I look at the minute hand first — if it's on the 12, it's an "o'clock" time. Then I simply read the number the hour hand is pointing to.
Half past
When the minute hand has gone halfway round, it points to the 6: 30 minutes have gone by — half an hour. The hour hand is no longer exactly on a number: it sits halfway between two numbers, leaning towards the next one.
Minute hand on 6, hour hand between 6 and 7 → it's half past 6 (6:30)
We say "half past six" or "six thirty" — both are correct.
Quarter past/to
The clock face is divided into 4 quarters by the numbers 12, 3, 6 and 9. Each quarter is 15 minutes — a quarter of an hour.
Minute hand on 3, hour hand just after 9 → it's quarter past 9 (9:15)
- Minute hand on the 3 → "quarter past" (15 min have gone by).
- Minute hand on the 9 → "quarter to" (15 min are still left until the next hour). Example: minute hand on 9, hour hand just before the 7 → it's quarter to 7 (6:45).
Counting minutes in 5s
To read a precise time (not just an o'clock, half past or quarter time), we count the minutes shown by the minute hand. Each number on the face stands for 5 minutes, since 60 minutes ÷ 12 numbers = 5 minutes per number.
- I spot which number (or which two numbers) the minute hand is on or between.
- I count up in 5s from the 12: 1→5 min, 2→10 min, 3→15 min, 4→20 min, 5→25 min, 6→30 min, 7→35 min, 8→40 min, 9→45 min, 10→50 min, 11→55 min.
- If the hand is between two numbers, I add the small tick marks one by one (each one is worth 1 minute).
Morning or afternoon? (12-hour / 24-hour)
An analogue clock only counts up to 12: it doesn't tell you whether it's morning or afternoon. On a digital clock or a watch using the 24-hour format, the afternoon keeps counting up: 13:00 = 1 pm, 20:00 = 8 pm. To turn 24-hour time into 12-hour afternoon time, you simply subtract 12: 15:00 − 12 = 3 pm.
Mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up the hour and minute hands (thinking the long one shows the hours).
- Reading the exact number the minute hand points to as raw minutes instead of multiplying by 5 (minute hand on the 4 = 20 minutes, not 4 minutes).
- Saying "six forty-five" instead of "quarter to seven".
- Forgetting that the hour hand keeps moving too between two o'clock times: at 6:30, it's no longer on the 6, but between 6 and 7.
Worked exercises
The minute hand is on the 12, the hour hand on the 8. What time is it?
The minute hand is on the 6. What do I add to the hour?
How many minutes when the minute hand is on the 7?
Now it's your turn!
On EasyMaths, your child practises telling the time with a range of clocks and instant marking. The first exercises are free.
Start the exercises →Frequently asked questions
How do you tell the hour hand from the minute hand?
The hour hand, short and thick, points to the hours. The minute hand, long and thin, points to the minutes. A useful trick: the hour hand is the short one, since hours only go from 1 to 12; the minute hand is the long one — it travels all the way round the clock face in just one hour.
How do you count the minutes on an analogue clock?
Each number on the clock face stands for 5 minutes. When the minute hand is on the 1, it is 5 minutes past; on the 2, ten minutes past; on the 3, fifteen minutes past (a quarter past), and so on, counting up in 5s.
At what age do children learn to tell the time?
O'clock times and half past are learned around age 7, quarter past/to and precise minutes around age 8. Converting between 12-hour and 24-hour time is practised around ages 9 to 11.