Understanding military time
Military time uses a 24-hour day instead of repeating the hours twice with AM and PM. The first two digits are the hour, and the last two are the minutes. For example, 1630 means 4:30 PM. Four-digit notation avoids the ambiguity of a time such as “eight o’clock,” which could mean morning or evening.
How do you convert AM/PM to military time?
For 1 AM through 11 AM, keep the hour and add a leading zero if needed: 9:15 AM becomes 0915. For 1 PM through 11 PM, add 12 to the hour: 7:45 PM becomes 1945. Minutes stay the same. Noon is 1200, and midnight at the start of a day is 0000.
How do you convert military time to regular time?
Hours 00 through 11 are AM; 00 becomes 12 AM. Hour 12 is noon through 12:59 PM. For hours 13 through 23, subtract 12 and use PM: 2100 is 9:00 PM, while 2345 is 11:45 PM.
Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
0000 marks the beginning of a day. Some schedules use 2400 to mark the end of that day, the same instant as 0000 on the next date. This converter uses 0000–2359, so enter 0000 for midnight.
Is military time the same as a time zone?
No. Military time changes the notation, not the time zone. 1400 can be 2 PM in London or 2 PM in New York—different moments. UTC and “Zulu” time identify a time standard; four digits alone do not. Use the time zone converter to compare locations.