Asia spans 24 time zones, and this guide covers them all: the offset in each city, the daylight saving dates, the best time to call from New York or London, and how to convert any time. The 31 major cities covered here are Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, New Delhi, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jerusalem, Karachi, Dhaka, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka, Riyadh, Tel Aviv, Doha, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Colombo, Kathmandu, Tashkent, Beirut, Amman, Tehran.
Try the tool: World Clock — see the current time in every city in Asia, with the date and the offset.
Time zones in Asia
| City | IANA time zone | Offset in January 2026 | Offset in July 2026 | Daylight saving? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Asia/Tokyo | UTC+09:00 | UTC+09:00 | No |
| Dubai | Asia/Dubai | UTC+04:00 | UTC+04:00 | No |
| Singapore | Asia/Singapore | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Mumbai | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Hong Kong | Asia/Hong_Kong | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Shanghai | Asia/Shanghai | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Seoul | Asia/Seoul | UTC+09:00 | UTC+09:00 | No |
| Bangkok | Asia/Bangkok | UTC+07:00 | UTC+07:00 | No |
| Beijing | Asia/Shanghai | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| New Delhi | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Jakarta | Asia/Jakarta | UTC+07:00 | UTC+07:00 | No |
| Manila | Asia/Manila | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Kuala Lumpur | Asia/Kuala_Lumpur | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Jerusalem | Asia/Jerusalem | UTC+02:00 | UTC+03:00 | Yes |
| Karachi | Asia/Karachi | UTC+05:00 | UTC+05:00 | No |
| Dhaka | Asia/Dhaka | UTC+06:00 | UTC+06:00 | No |
| Taipei | Asia/Taipei | UTC+08:00 | UTC+08:00 | No |
| Ho Chi Minh City | Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh | UTC+07:00 | UTC+07:00 | No |
| Osaka | Asia/Tokyo | UTC+09:00 | UTC+09:00 | No |
| Riyadh | Asia/Riyadh | UTC+03:00 | UTC+03:00 | No |
| Tel Aviv | Asia/Jerusalem | UTC+02:00 | UTC+03:00 | Yes |
| Doha | Asia/Qatar | UTC+03:00 | UTC+03:00 | No |
| Bangalore | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Kolkata | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Chennai | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Colombo | Asia/Colombo | UTC+05:30 | UTC+05:30 | No |
| Kathmandu | Asia/Kathmandu | UTC+05:45 | UTC+05:45 | No |
| Tashkent | Asia/Tashkent | UTC+05:00 | UTC+05:00 | No |
| Beirut | Asia/Beirut | UTC+02:00 | UTC+03:00 | Yes |
| Amman | Asia/Amman | UTC+03:00 | UTC+03:00 | No |
| Tehran | Asia/Tehran | UTC+03:30 | UTC+03:30 | No |
The spread across Asia is 7 hours in January — the difference between the easternmost and westernmost zones. That matters when you schedule inside the country: a meeting at 9am in the east can be 6am in the west, and a national broadcast or a train timetable has to pick a time that works across the spread. The table above gives the offset for each city, so you can convert between any two of them.
Daylight saving in Asia
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beirut observe daylight saving; Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, New Delhi, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Karachi, Dhaka, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka, Riyadh, Doha, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Colombo, Kathmandu, Tashkent, Amman, Tehran do not. The 2026 dates for the zones that change:
| Time zone | Daylight saving starts 2026 | Daylight saving ends 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | Friday, 27 March 2026 | Sunday, 25 October 2026 |
| Tel Aviv | Friday, 27 March 2026 | Sunday, 25 October 2026 |
| Beirut | Sunday, 29 March 2026 | Saturday, 24 October 2026 |
Tokyo: Japan last observed daylight saving in 1951, during the post-war occupation, and has not used it since. There is a recurring public debate about bringing it back, but no law has passed. Dubai: the United Arab Emirates sits close to the tropics, where day length barely changes through the year, so moving the clocks would bring almost no extra evening daylight. Singapore: Singapore sits almost on the equator, where day and night are close to 12 hours all year. There is nothing to save by moving the clocks, so Singapore has not observed daylight saving since 1982. Mumbai: India has never observed daylight saving in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small. Hong Kong: Hong Kong last observed daylight saving in 1979. Its subtropical latitude means day length changes little through the year, so the government has not brought it back. Shanghai: China uses a single time zone for the whole country and last observed daylight saving in 1991. The experiment was dropped because a single national clock change caused confusion across a country spanning five geographical time zones. Seoul: South Korea last observed daylight saving in 1988, for the Seoul Olympics. It has not been used since. Bangkok: Thailand sits in the tropics, where day length is nearly constant all year, so daylight saving would bring no benefit. It has not observed it in the modern era. Beijing: China uses a single time zone for the whole country and last observed daylight saving in 1991. The experiment was dropped because a single national clock change caused confusion across a country spanning five geographical time zones. New Delhi: India has never observed daylight saving in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small. Jakarta: Indonesia sits on the equator, where day length is almost exactly 12 hours every day of the year, so daylight saving would be pointless. Manila: the Philippines sits in the tropics, where day length barely changes, so daylight saving has not been observed since the 1990s. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia sits almost on the equator, where day and night are close to 12 hours all year, so moving the clocks would bring no benefit. Karachi: Pakistan last observed daylight saving in 2009, as a short-lived energy-saving measure during power shortages. It has not been used since. Dhaka: Bangladesh last observed daylight saving in 2009, as a one-year energy-saving experiment. It has not been used since. Taipei: Taiwan last observed daylight saving in 1979. Its subtropical latitude means the gain from moving the clocks is small, and it has not been brought back. Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam sits in the tropics, where day length is nearly constant all year, so daylight saving has never been adopted. Osaka: Japan last observed daylight saving in 1951, during the post-war occupation, and has not used it since. There is a recurring public debate about bringing it back, but no law has passed. Riyadh: Saudi Arabia sits in the subtropics, where day length changes modestly through the year, and daylight saving has never been adopted. Doha: Qatar sits in the subtropics, where day length changes modestly through the year, and daylight saving has never been adopted. Bangalore: India has never observed daylight saving in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small. Kolkata: India has never observed daylight saving in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small. Chennai: India has never observed daylight saving in the modern era. The country uses a single time zone, and in most of India the difference between summer and winter day length is small. Colombo: Sri Lanka sits close to the equator, where day length is nearly constant all year, so daylight saving has never been used. Kathmandu: Nepal sits in the subtropics and has never observed daylight saving. It is famous instead for its unusual offset, UTC+5:45 — one of only two zones in the world on a 45-minute offset. Tashkent: Uzbekistan has not observed daylight saving since the Soviet era. It stays on UTC+5 all year. Uzbekistan kept the Soviet clock-change rules while it was part of the Soviet Union, but after independence it dropped the change and has kept one fixed offset ever since, which makes its time one of the simplest in Central Asia to remember. Amman: Jordan abolished daylight saving in 2022 and stays on permanent summer time (UTC+3) all year. The decision followed years of debate: Jordan had moved its clocks twice a year since the 1970s, and the government concluded that the energy savings were negligible and the disruption to schools and businesses was not worth it. Tehran: Iran abolished daylight saving in 2022. It stays on UTC+3:30 all year — one of the world's few half-hour zones.
What time is it in Asia when it is 12:00 UTC?
| City | Local time at 12:00 UTC (15 January 2026) |
|---|---|
| Tokyo | 9:00 pm |
| Dubai | 4:00 pm |
| Singapore | 8:00 pm |
| Mumbai | 5:30 pm |
| Hong Kong | 8:00 pm |
| Shanghai | 8:00 pm |
| Seoul | 9:00 pm |
| Bangkok | 7:00 pm |
| Beijing | 8:00 pm |
| New Delhi | 5:30 pm |
| Jakarta | 7:00 pm |
| Manila | 8:00 pm |
| Kuala Lumpur | 8:00 pm |
| Jerusalem | 2:00 pm |
| Karachi | 5:00 pm |
| Dhaka | 6:00 pm |
| Taipei | 8:00 pm |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 7:00 pm |
| Osaka | 9:00 pm |
| Riyadh | 3:00 pm |
| Tel Aviv | 2:00 pm |
| Doha | 3:00 pm |
| Bangalore | 5:30 pm |
| Kolkata | 5:30 pm |
| Chennai | 5:30 pm |
| Colombo | 5:30 pm |
| Kathmandu | 5:45 pm |
| Tashkent | 5:00 pm |
| Beirut | 2:00 pm |
| Amman | 3:00 pm |
| Tehran | 3:30 pm |
How to convert a time to Asia
Take 3pm in London. In January, London is UTC+00:00 and Tokyo is UTC+09:00, so 3pm in London is 12:00 am in Tokyo. In July, London is UTC+01:00 and Tokyo is UTC+09:00, so 3pm in London is 11:00 pm in Tokyo. The answer is the same in July as in January, because neither place changes its offset — Tokyo does not observe daylight saving. The time zone converter does this for any two cities and any date, and the UTC converter converts from UTC.
The best time to call Asia
The overlap of a 9am–5pm working day between Tokyo and New York is none in January 2026; between Tokyo and London it is none. There is no overlap with either city in a normal working day, so a call has to be early morning or late evening for someone — the kindest time is usually early morning in the city further east.
The time in Asia through the year
The offset of Tokyo month by month in 2026 — the local time when it is 12:00 UTC on the 15th of each month:
| Month | UTC offset | Local time at 12:00 UTC |
|---|---|---|
| January | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| February | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| March | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| April | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| May | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| June | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| July | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| August | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| September | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| October | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| November | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
| December | UTC+09:00 | 9:00 pm |
Tokyo stays on the same offset all twelve months, because it does not observe daylight saving — the table is the same in January and in July, and there is no clock change to remember. The world clock for Tokyo shows the live time and the offset in effect today.
Asia and the rest of the world
The time difference from Tokyo to six major cities, in January and in July 2026:
| City | Difference in January | Difference in July |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 14 hours ahead | 13 hours ahead |
| London | 9 hours ahead | 8 hours ahead |
| Paris | 8 hours ahead | 7 hours ahead |
| Tokyo | the same time | the same time |
| Sydney | 2 hours behind | 1 hour behind |
| Dubai | 5 hours ahead | 5 hours ahead |
The differences change between January and July wherever one of the two cities observes daylight saving and the other does not — or wherever they change on different dates. The time zone converter gives the difference for any date, so a conversion done for January is not reused for July without checking.
Calling Asia from London
In January there is no overlap between the working hours of Tokyo and London, so any call has to be early morning or late evening for one side. The kindest time is usually early morning in the city further east — 8am there is late evening the previous day in the other city — or late evening in the city further west. The meeting planner shows the overlap for any set of cities.
Neighbouring time zones
Other major cities in Asia, for comparison:
| City | Country | Offset in January 2026 |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does Asia have?
24 — the cities covered here use Asia/Tokyo, Asia/Dubai, Asia/Singapore, Asia/Kolkata, Asia/Hong_Kong, Asia/Shanghai, Asia/Seoul, Asia/Bangkok, Asia/Jakarta, Asia/Manila, Asia/Kuala_Lumpur, Asia/Jerusalem, Asia/Karachi, Asia/Dhaka, Asia/Taipei, Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh, Asia/Riyadh, Asia/Qatar, Asia/Colombo, Asia/Kathmandu, Asia/Tashkent, Asia/Beirut, Asia/Amman, Asia/Tehran. The table above gives the offset for each city in January and July.
What is the time zone of Tokyo?
Tokyo is on Asia/Tokyo, UTC+09:00 from UTC in January and UTC+09:00 in July. The world clock for Tokyo shows the live time.
Does Asia observe daylight saving?
Partly: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beirut observe it, and Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, New Delhi, Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Karachi, Dhaka, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka, Riyadh, Doha, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Colombo, Kathmandu, Tashkent, Amman, Tehran do not.
What time is it in Tokyo when it is 12:00 UTC?
9:00 pm on 15 January 2026 — Tokyo is UTC+09:00 from UTC in winter.
What is the best time to call Asia from London?
The overlap of working hours between Tokyo and London is none in January. Mid-morning in the city further east is usually the kindest time — use the meeting planner to check.
How do I convert a time to Asia?
Find the offset for the city and the date — the table above gives January and July — and add it to the UTC time, or use the time zone converter to convert between any two cities directly.
Related pages
- What time is it in Tokyo?
- What time is it in Dubai?
- What time is it in Singapore?
- What time is it in Mumbai?
- Time Zone Converter
- World Clock
- UTC Converter
- Daylight saving time 2026 dates
Sources
- IANA Time Zone Database, via Node.js Intl (
Intl.DateTimeFormatwithtimeZone) — offsets, daylight saving dates and local times in this article were worked out from the IANA database, not typed from memory. - TimeFlow's own time-zone data (
data/cities.ts,data/dst.ts), computed from the IANA database. - Time zone rules and offsets: the IANA Time Zone Database, as applied by this site's tools. Offsets and daylight saving dates on this page are computed from the database for the dates stated.
- TimeFlow's world clock and time zone converter — the live tools behind the numbers on this page.
- Time-zone and daylight saving rules are set by governments and can change. For flights, deadlines and meetings that cannot move, confirm the time with an official source.