noun, adverb
3 o'clock
Refers to the time of day; can be used as a noun or adverbially.
会議は三時から始まります。
The meeting starts at 3 o'clock.
三時に駅で待ち合わせましょう。
Let's meet at the station at 3 o'clock.
noun
afternoon snack (around 3 o'clock)
Short for 三時のおやつ; refers to the custom of having a snack at mid-afternoon.
See also: ３時のおやつ (さんじのおやつ)
三時のおやつにクッキーを食べた。
I had cookies for my 3 o'clock snack.
子供たちは三時を楽しみにしている。
The children are looking forward to their afternoon snack.
noun
three ages of Buddhism
Buddhist term: the three periods after the Buddha's death — the age of the true law (正法), the age of the copied law (像法), and the age of the degeneration of the law (末法).
See also: 正法 (しょうぼう) · 末法 · 像法
三時の考え方は、仏教の歴史観の一つです。
The concept of the three ages is one of the historical views in Buddhism.
The full phrase for the afternoon snack; 三時 alone is a common abbreviation.
The first of the three ages of Buddhism; 三時 is the collective term.
The second of the three ages of Buddhism.
The third of the three ages of Buddhism.
Compound of 三 (san, 'three') and 時 (ji, 'o'clock'). The Buddhist sense is a specialized extension of the same characters.