{"id":5137,"date":"2022-02-22T11:50:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T11:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=5137"},"modified":"2022-06-27T10:53:09","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T10:53:09","slug":"days-of-the-week-in-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/days-of-the-week-in-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say the Days of the Week in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re traveling to Japan, you may want to learn the days of the week (or youbi<\/em>) in Japanese to talk about your schedule. Let\u2019s break down the days of the week and how to use them in a sentence.<\/p>\n

Days of the Week in Japanese<\/h2>\n

Learning the days of the week can be easy for English speakers especially, because like English, each Japanese day ends with the same suffix. In English, it\u2019s -day<\/em>; in Japanese, each day of the week ends with -youbi<\/em>. Remember this suffix, and you\u2019re halfway there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
English<\/strong><\/td>\nKanji<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nHiragana<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nRomaji <\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sunday<\/td>\n\u65e5\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u306b\u3061\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nNichiyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Monday<\/td>\n\u6708\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u3052\u3064\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nGetsuyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tuesday<\/td>\n\u706b\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u304b\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nKayoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wednesday<\/td>\n\u6c34\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u3059\u3044\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nSuiyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Thursday<\/td>\n\u6728\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u3082\u304f\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nMokuyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Friday<\/td>\n\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u304d\u3093\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nKinyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saturday<\/td>\n\u571f\u66dc\u65e5<\/td>\n\u3069\u3088\u3046\u3073<\/td>\nDoyoubi<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

How to Remember the Days of the Week in Japanese<\/h2>\n

These words might look daunting if you\u2019re just beginning to study Japanese, especially since they\u2019re pure kanji<\/em>. The kanji<\/em> for \u66dc\u65e5 (-youbi<\/em>) especially can be difficult to write by hand, so you might want to practice writing only the first kanji<\/em>, then writing –youbi<\/em> in hiragana<\/em> as a start.<\/p>\n

In terms of the first character for each day of the week, though, there\u2019s a simple memory trick that Japanese students also use. Each day of the week has an element of nature that fits its kanji <\/em>character, and Japanese schools teach these mnemonics to help grade students learn the kanji<\/em> early on. Let\u2019s break them down together.<\/p>\n

Nichiyoubi <\/em>(Sunday) \u2013 Literally a Sun<\/em> Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u65e5 = \u2600<\/span><\/p>\n

The kanji<\/em> for \u65e5 (nichi<\/em>) literally means \u201csun\u201d or \u201cday\u201d. This makes it especially easy for English speakers to remember the first day of the week in Japanese. Try to imagine the kanji<\/em> for \u201csun\u201d as a window, through which you can watch the sun<\/strong>rise on a Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getsuyoubi <\/em>(Monday) \u2013 The Moon Follows the Sun<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u6708 = ?<\/span><\/p>\n

The kanji<\/em> for \u6708 (getsu<\/em>) means \u201cmoon\u201d or \u201cmonth\u201d. Just as the moon rises after the sun sets, imagine Monday<\/strong> rising after a Sunday evening.<\/p>\n

Kayoubi <\/em>(Tuesday) \u2013 A Fiery Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u706b = ?<\/span><\/p>\n

The kanji<\/em> for \u706b (ka<\/em>) means \u201cfire\u201d. The character even looks a bit like a dancing flame, if you use your imagination. If you\u2019re having some trouble envisioning the fire, consider Tuesday as the day you get really fired up<\/strong> for your week after a dreary Monday.<\/p>\n

Suiyoubi <\/em>(Wednesday) \u2013 The Wave\u2019s Crest<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u6c34= ?<\/span><\/p>\n

The character \u6c34 (sui) <\/em>means \u201cwater\u201d. You might think of Wednesday as a splash of water to douse your fiery Tuesday. If that doesn\u2019t help you remember the word suiyoubi<\/em>, try to imagine that Wednesday is the wave crest<\/strong> in the middle of the week. Once you\u2019ve gotten over that wall of rushing water<\/strong>, it\u2019s all downhill from there.<\/p>\n

Mokuyoubi <\/em>(Thursday) \u2013 A Tree in the Week<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u6728= ?<\/span><\/p>\n

The kanji<\/em> \u6728 (moku<\/em>) means \u201cwood\u201d or \u201ctree\u201d. I\u2019ve always liked to think that the water from Wednesday grew a large, beautiful tree<\/strong> on Thursday. If that doesn\u2019t help you remember, looking at the kanji<\/em> might help. \u6728 looks a bit like a bare tree with branches spreading above and below its mighty trunk.<\/p>\n

Kinyoubi<\/em> (Friday) \u2013 A Golden Day Before the Weekend<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u91d1= ?<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone loves Friday. The excitement of a weekend is just around the corner. That might be why Kinyoubi<\/em> has the kanji<\/em> for \u201cgold\u201d or \u201cmoney\u201d as its first character: \u91d1. You can remember this day either by imagining all the money<\/strong> you\u2019re going to spend this Friday evening after work, or by thinking Friday wins the gold medal<\/strong> as your favorite day of the week.<\/p>\n

Doyoubi<\/em> (Saturday) \u2013 The Earth is Yours<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u571f= ?<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday is finally here! The first kanji<\/em> character for Saturday is \u571f (do<\/em>), which means \u201csoil\u201d or \u201cearth\u201d. You could remember this by thinking about gardening<\/strong>, or other relaxing hobbies people enjoy on their day off. You could also consider a literal sense of the word \u201cearth\u201d in thinking that on Saturday, the world<\/strong> of possible enjoyments is yours to explore.<\/p>\n

Other Japanese Words Related to Days and Dates<\/h2>\n

In addition to the days of the week, let\u2019s look at a few other words or phrases related to the calendar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Kanji<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\nReading<\/strong><\/td>\nMeaning<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4eca\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u304d\u3087\u3046<\/td>\n

kyou<\/em><\/td>\ntoday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u6628\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u304d\u306e\u3046<\/td>\n

kinou <\/em><\/td>\nyesterday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4e00\u6628\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u304a\u3068\u3068\u3044<\/td>\n

ototoi <\/em><\/td>\nthe day before yesterday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u660e\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u3042\u3057\u305f<\/td>\n

ashita <\/em><\/td>\ntomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u660e\u5f8c\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u3042\u3055\u3063\u3066<\/td>\n

asatte <\/em><\/td>\nthe day after tomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4e00\u65e5<\/p>\n

\u3044\u3061\u306b\u3061<\/td>\n

ichinichi <\/em><\/td>\nall day long<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u9031<\/p>\n

\u3057\u3085\u3046<\/td>\n

shuu <\/em><\/td>\nweek<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4eca\u9031<\/p>\n

\u3053\u3093\u3057\u3085\u3046<\/td>\n

konshuu <\/em><\/td>\nthis week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u5148\u9031<\/p>\n

\u305b\u3093\u3057\u3085\u3046<\/td>\n

senshuu <\/em><\/td>\nlast week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u6765\u9031<\/p>\n

\u3089\u3044\u3057\u3085\u3046<\/td>\n

raishuu <\/em><\/td>\nnext week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u6708<\/p>\n

\u3052\u3064<\/td>\n

getsu <\/em><\/td>\nmonth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4eca\u6708<\/p>\n

\u3053\u3093\u3052\u3064<\/td>\n

kongetsu <\/em><\/td>\nthis month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u5148\u6708<\/p>\n

\u305b\u3093\u3052\u3064<\/td>\n

sengetsu<\/em><\/td>\nlast month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u6765\u6708<\/p>\n

\u3089\u3044\u3052\u3064<\/td>\n

raigetsu <\/em><\/td>\nnext month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u5e74<\/p>\n

\u306d\u3093<\/td>\n

nen <\/em><\/td>\nyear<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u4eca\u5e74<\/p>\n

\u3053\u3068\u3057<\/td>\n

kotoshi <\/em><\/td>\nthis year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u53bb\u5e74<\/p>\n

\u304d\u3087\u306d\u3093<\/td>\n

kyonen <\/em><\/td>\nlast year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u6765\u5e74<\/p>\n

\u3089\u3044\u306d\u3093<\/td>\n

rainen <\/em><\/td>\nnext year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

You may notice some patterns in some of these words: the kanji <\/em>\u4eca (read ko-<\/em> or kon-<\/em>) refers to the present time, while \u6765 (read as rai-<\/em>) refers to the future. This isn\u2019t always the case, but it can be a useful tip to remember if you\u2019re reading a Japanese schedule or calendar.<\/p>\n

Using Japanese Days of the Week in a Sentence<\/h2>\n

In our article on Japanese particles<\/a>, we discussed how the particle \u306b (ni<\/em>) is used for words depicting time, place, and the direction of action. This means that days of the week will almost always be followed by the particle ni<\/em>. For example, \u201cI went to a concert on Friday\u201d would be said like this: \u201c\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5\u306b<\/strong>\u30e9\u30a4\u30d6\u3078\u884c\u304d\u307e\u3057\u305f\u201d (Kinyoubi <\/em>ni<\/em><\/strong> raibu e ikimashita)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s important to remember that the subject marker \u304c (ga<\/em>) and the topic marker \u306f (wa<\/em>) will take precedence if the day of the week is the subject and\/or topic of the sentence. Using the example of the concert, a similar with a day of the week being the subject would look like this: \u201cFriday is the day of the concert,\u201d or, \u201c\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5\u304c<\/strong>\u30e9\u30a4\u30d6\u306e\u65e5\u3067\u3059\u201d (Kinyoubi ga<\/em><\/strong> raibu no hi desu).<\/em><\/p>\n

Furthermore, if a day is used as a possessive, it will take the particle \u306e (no<\/em>). For example, a sentence like, \u201cFriday\u2019s concert was awesome!\u201d would become \u201c\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5\u306e<\/strong>\u30e9\u30a4\u30d6\u306f\u3059\u3054\u304b\u3063\u305f!\u201d (Kinyoubi <\/em>no<\/em><\/strong> raibu wa sugokatta!<\/em>).<\/p>\n

However, native speakers often drop the particles from days of the week and other date-related words. You could say, \u201c\u91d1\u66dc\u65e5, \u30e9\u30a4\u30d6\u3078\u884c\u304d\u307e\u3057\u305f\u201d (Kinyoubi, raibu e ikimashita<\/em>) and still be correct.<\/p>\n

Here are a few more example sentences to help you remember this rule.<\/p>\n