0000 Military Time: What Is 0000 in Regular Time?

0000 Military Time

Quick answer: 0000 military time is 12:00 AM (midnight) in regular time.

0000 military time = 12:00 AM (midnight) in standard time.

Military: 0000
Regular time: 12:00 AM (midnight)

Military time uses a 24-hour clock, which removes the need for AM and PM.

Zero zero zero zero. Four zeros. The very start of a brand new day in military time.

Midnight is one of the most confusing times to convert because 12:00 AM doesn’t look anything like 0000. Let’s clear it up for good.

How to Convert 0000 to Regular Time

0000 is midnight, the very beginning of the day. When the clock strikes midnight and a new day starts, military time resets to 0000.

There’s no subtraction or addition needed here. You just need to know that 0000 equals 12:00 AM. It’s one of those conversions most people memorize once and never forget.

Military Time Conversion Rule

Military time follows a simple formula.

0000–1159 → Morning hours (AM)
Just read the hour and add AM.

Examples:

0600 = 6:00 AM
0900 = 9:00 AM
1000 = 10:00 AM

1300–2359 → Afternoon and evening hours (PM)
Subtract 12 from the hour.

Examples:

1500 = 3:00 PM
1800 = 6:00 PM
2000 = 8:00 PM

Since 0000 marks midnight, it represents the start of the morning range.

What About 2400? Is That Also Midnight?

Yes, and this is where things can get a little confusing.

0000 means the very beginning of a new day. Think of it as the first moment of Monday.

2400 means the very end of the previous day. Think of it as the last moment of Sunday.

Both point to the same moment on the clock, but they reference different days. In practice, most people use 0000.

You’ll sometimes see 2400 on schedules that mark the end of something. For example, a schedule might say an event runs until 2400, meaning it ends at midnight.

What About Minutes After Midnight?

Minutes work the same way as every other hour.

The first hour after midnight counts up from 0000.

0030 is 12:30 AM
0015 is 12:15 AM
0045 is 12:45 AM

Once you reach 0100, the time becomes 1:00 AM, and the numbers start looking more familiar again.

How to Say 0000 Out Loud

There are a few common ways people pronounce 0000.

“Zero zero zero zero.”
This is the most technically correct military pronunciation, where each digit is read individually.

“Zero hundred.”
This is a shorter, more casual version you might hear on base, in hospitals, or among shift workers.

“Midnight.”
This also works when the context is clear and a formal military pronunciation isn’t necessary.

When Would You Actually See 0000?

Midnight marks the start of a new day, so 0000 appears whenever schedules cross from one day into the next.

Shift changes. Midnight shift changes are common in healthcare, security, and law enforcement. The 0000 handoff marks when the night shift officially begins.

Military watch rotations. On ships and bases, watch rotations often change at 0000. The “mid watch” frequently runs from 0000 to 0400 or 0000 to 0600 depending on the branch.

Log entries. Police reports, hospital charts, and security logs use 0000 to mark the start of a new day. An event logged at 0000 happened exactly at midnight.

New Year’s countdown. Technically, when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, the clock reaches 0000 on January 1st, marking the beginning of the new year.

Quick Reference: Times Around 0000

Military Time	Regular Time
2300	11:00 PM
0000	12:00 AM (Midnight)
0100	1:00 AM

Going the Other Way: 12:00 AM to Military Time

12:00 AM (midnight) becomes 0000 in military time.

No math is required.

Examples:

12:30 AM → 0030
12:15 AM → 0015
12:45 AM → 0045

The key thing to remember is that 12:00 AM equals 0000, not 1200.

1200 is noon, and confusing noon with midnight is one of the most common mistakes when people first learn military time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Need to convert a different time? Check out the full military time chart or use our instant converter to look up any time in seconds.