Japanese Phrase for Asking the Time: "今何時ですか？"

"今何時ですか？" (Ima nanji desu ka?) is a basic way to ask for the time in Japanese. It's commonly used while traveling or in daily life. Typical replies use "〜時です" (~ji desu), as in "3時です" (Sanji desu, It's three o'clock). A more polite way to ask is "すみません、今何時ですか？" (Excuse me, what time is it?).