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12 Hour Time

12 hour time is the time keeping which is based on the 12-hour clock.

By this convention, a day is divided into two periods of twelve hours, numbered from 1 to 12, starting exactly at 12 AM (midnight) and ending a short moment before midnight, at 11:59:59 PM.

Here we have lots of information related to 12-hour time and the conversion to the 24 hour system.


In the next section you can find our 12 hour clock converter.

12 Hour Clock Converter

Reset
 Our calculator dispays your local time converted to 24-hour time.If you like to change any other time in 12-hour time format explained below, hit the “reset” button, next insert the hours, minutes and period as indicated in the input form.

The first 12-hour period from midnight to noon, “ante meridiem”, Latin “before midday”, is abbreviated as am, AM, a.m. or A.M.

The second 12-hour period period from noon to midnight, “post meridiem”, Latin “past midday”, is abbreviated as pm, PM, p.m. or P.M.

12 Hour Time Format

A time in the 12-hour time format is written in the syntax HH:MM AM/PM, or in the extended syntax HH:MM:SS AM/PM, H = Hours, M = Minutes and S = Seconds.

Numbers denoting hours less than 10 sometimes have a leading zero; for minutes smaller than 10 this is a mandatory. For example: 9:45 AM, 09:45 A.M., 3:50:59 PM.

Frequent conversions include:
Keep reading to find the 12 hour time conversion method, along with examples.

12 Hour Time Conversion

Take notice that neither the minutes (MM) nor the seconds (SS) change, and that 24-hour time is written without am/pm period, then proceed as follows:
  • Assumed your time is HH:MM AM:
    HH remains the same, except for HH12 = 12, in which case 12 changes to 00.
  • Assumed your time is HH:MM PM:
    HH24 = HH12 + 12, except for HH12 = 12, in which case 12 remains.

What is the 12 Hour Clock Time Now

Our 12 hour time clock displays your local current time:
In the section ahead we feature the frequently asked questions answered by our expert.

FAQs

Why do we use 12 hour time?

The natural day-and-night division of a calendar day is reflected by the two cycles of the 12-hour clock.

What time is 12 pm in military time?

12:00 p.m. (midday) =1200 hrs.

Is 12 am night or day?

12 a.m. is in the middle of the night, at the start of a new day.

What does 12am to 12pm mean?

It means a calendar day.

Is Afternoon 12 AM or PM?

The afternoon starts at 12 p.m. ( p.m. from Latin post meridiem,”after midday”); midday and noon mean the same.

Is noon 12 AM or 12 PM?

By definition, noon is 12 PM. 12 AM is midnight.

Is 12 AM the next day?

Yes, 12 AM is the beginning of a day. A day ends one second before 12:00 AM.

Is 12 AM in the morning or afternoon?

12 AM is in the morning, whereas 12 PM is in the afternoon.

What is midnight in 12-hour clock?

Midnight in 12-hour time is 12 a.m.

How do I quickly tell military time?

For time in the am in between 1 and 11 hours remove the “am” and if the hours portion is a single digit prepend “0”. For time in the am with 12 hours change 12 to 00. If the 12 hour time is in the pm, add 12 hours and remove the “pm”.

What is meant by 12pm?

12pm = 12:00 = 1200 hours = noon = midday.

Is 12am midnight?

Yes, 12 am (00:00) denotes midnight.

Does 12am mean the next day?

12am is the start of the (next) day following the day that just ended at 11:59:59 pm.

Is 12 pm the next day?

12 am is the next day, not 12 pm.

12 Hour Time Chart

12 Hour Clock24 Hour Clock
12:00 am00:00
1:00 am01:00
2:00 am02:00
3:00 am03:00
4:00 am04:00
5:00 am05:00
6:00 am06:00
7:00 am07:00
8:00 am08:00
9:00 am09:00
10:00 am10:00
11:00 am11:00
12:00 pm12:00
1:00 pm13:00
2:00 pm14:00
3:00 pm15:00
4:00 pm16:00
5:00 pm17:00
6:00 pm18:00
7:00 pm19:00
8:00 pm20:00
9:00 pm21:00
10:00 pm22:00
11:00 pm23:00

Bottom Line

The 12-hour clock system is a way of telling the time in written and spoken.

It has some some potential for confusion, though.

I guess I am not the only one who can tell be experience:

I personally recommended using the terms 12 noon (instead of 12 PM) and 12 midnight (instead of 12 AM).




The 12-hour time convention, sometimes called regular, standard or normal time, is not only common in several former British colonies, but also a number of other countries around the globe.

In some countries, a combination of the two time notations can be seen as well, depending mainly on context, speech or writing.

Further Information:
– Article written by Mark, last updated on March 4th, 2024