Parts of a Clock

Learning to tell time is a very important life skill! To tell time, we use a clock. Let's learn all about the parts of a clock.

The Clock Face#

A clock has a round face with numbers on it. The numbers go from 1 to 12 around the circle. They go in order: 12 at the top, then 1, 2, 3... going clockwise (to the right) around the face, ending back at 12.

The Two Hands#

A clock has two hands (pointers) that move around the face to show what time it is.

The Hour Hand:

• The hour hand is the short hand.
• It is shorter and fatter.
• It moves slowly — it takes 12 hours to go all the way around the clock.
• It points to the hour (like 3 o'clock, 7 o'clock, etc.)

The Minute Hand:

• The minute hand is the long hand.
• It is longer and thinner.
• It moves faster — it takes just 60 minutes (1 hour) to go all the way around the clock.
• When it points to 12, it means it is exactly on the hour (like 3:00).
• When it points to 6, it means it is half past the hour (like 3:30).

A Simple Memory Trick#

Remember this: short hand = hours, long hand = minutes. The word "hour" is shorter than the word "minute," and the hour hand is shorter too!

Reading a Digital Clock#

You might also see digital clocks — these show numbers instead of hands.

• 3:00 means 3 o'clock (hour = 3, minutes = 00)
• 7:30 means seven-thirty (hour = 7, minutes = 30)

The number before the colon (:) is the hour. The number after the colon is the minutes.