Is 今日本に何時ですか correct?

Question

What I'm trying to say is "what time is it in Japan right now?". My main problem is if I placed 今 correctly and if I should use に or は?

Answer 1

Most commonly and naturally, it should be:

「今日本{いまにほん}は何時{なんじ}ですか。」

You located 「今」 correctly, but used the wrong particle 「に」. A comma after the 「今」 is optional.

Also common would be:

「日本は今何時ですか。」

Finally, you can only start a sentence with 「今日本に」 when it is followed by a verb describing a stative action as in:

・「今日本にいます。」 ("I am in Japan now.")

・「今日本に住{す}んでいます」 ("I live in Japan now.")

How about 「で」, one would ask. 「で」 can be used when it is followed by an "active" (as opposed to "stative") verb. You can say:

・「今日本で大学{だいがく}に行{い}っています。」 ("I am attending college in Japan now.")

・「今日本でプログラミングの勉強{べんきょう}をしています。」 ("I am studying computer programming in Japan now.")