Days of the week in Japanese: Everything you need to know

Have you ever found yourself curious about the Land of the Rising Sun and its rich language? Perhaps you’re planning a tripor you’ve started learning Japanese and want to master the basics. Wellyou’re in luck. In this articleyou’ll learn about one of the most essential parts of everyday conversation: The days of the week. Understanding these can not only help you schedule your sushi dates but also give you a peek into Japan’s fascinating culture.

Japanese might seem daunting with its three different writing systemsbut when it comes to the days of the weekwe’re mainly using “kanji” (漢字the Japanese characters borrowed from Chinese). Each day ends in “yōbi,” (曜日ようび) just like all English days end in “day.” And each day starts with an easy-to-remember kanji character. Stick with this guideand you’ll be planning your week in Japanese like a pro in no time.

In this articleyou’ll learn the names of the days of the weektheir originsand some useful – and related – words and phrases.

What are the days of the week in Japanese?

The days of the week in Japanese are: Monday (月曜日getsuyōbi)Tuesday (火曜日kayōbi)Wednesday (水曜日suiyōbi)Thursday (木曜日mokuyōbi)Friday (金曜日kin’yōbi)Saturday (土曜日doyōbi)and Sunday (日曜日nichiyōbi). Each day is associated with a kanji character representing traditional elements or celestial bodies.

Exploring the origins of Japanese weekdays

Let’s take a closer look at each day and the origin of its name. Just like in other languagesthe days of the week in Japanese are related to astronomy and mythology and originate in ancient China. The second character曜 (ようyō)gives clues to the origins of these words. In Mandarin Chinese曜 means “shining body” or “luminary.” The sunmoonand the five planets visible to the naked eye (MercuryVenusMarsJupiterand Saturn) are the “seven luminaries.” This is the basis for the Japanese days of the week.

Sunday: 日曜日 (にちようびNichiyōbi)

日 means “sun.” So日曜日 means “sun day.” This is also a connection to the sun goddess Amaterasu in the Shinto religion.

Monday: 月曜日 (げつようびGetsuyōbi)

月 means “moonand like many culturesJapan associates Monday with the moon.

Tuesday: 火曜日 (かようびKayōbi)

火 means “fire” and refers to the planet Marswhich was called the “Fire Star” in ancient Japanese astronomyreflecting the planet’s fiery red appearance.

Wednesday: 水曜日 (すいようびSuiyōbi)

水 means “water” and refers to Mercurythe “Water Star.”

Thursday: 木曜日 (もくようびMokuyōbi)

木 means “wood” or “tree” and refers to Jupiterthe “Wood Star” in ancient astronomysymbolizing growth and prosperity.

Friday: 金曜日 (きんようびKinyōbi)

金 means “gold” or “metal” and refers to Venusthe “Metal Star.”

Saturday: 土曜日 (どようびDoyōbi)

土 means “earth” and is related to Saturnknown as the “Earth Star.”

Pronunciation

Japanese pronunciation is relatively easy to figure out because it’s a phonetic language. This means that every character from “hiragana” and “katakana” (the basic Japanese alphabets) has its own sound. Soif you can read the characteryou can make the sound.

It’s much simpler than languages like Englishwhere spelling and pronunciation are not linked (words such as “cough,” “pneumonia,” and “what” are examples of confusing words).

Here’s a video showing you the correct pronunciation of the Japanese days of the week. Notice the long o-sound of 曜日 (ようびyōbi).

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Bonus tips: Study ひらがな (hiragana) and カタカナ (katakana) as soon as possible when learning Japanese. You’ll learn to read Japanese and how to pronounce Japanese words.

Other useful Japanese words for talking about days of the week

Here are some other Japanese words related to days of the week that are common in everyday conversation and helpful when you write the date in Japanese:

• 今日 (きょうkyō) = Today
• 昨日 (きのうkinō) = Yesterday
• 一昨日 (おとといototoi) = The day before yesterday
• 明日 (あしたashita) = Tomorrow
• 明後日 (あさってasatte) = The day after tomorrow
• この間 (このあいだkono aida) = The other day
• 平日 (へいじつheijitsu) = Weekday
• 週末 (しゅうまつshūnmatsu) = Weekend

Phrases using the days of the week

As you become more comfortable with the days of the weekyou’ll start noticing them popping up in various Japanese phrases and when you tell the time in Japanese. Here are a few to get you started:

月曜日から金曜日まで

げつようびからきんようびまで

Getsuyōbi kara kinyōbi made

This phrase means “from Monday to Friday” and is very handy when talking about your work or school schedule.

金曜日の夜は何をしますか？

きんようびのよるはなにをしますか

Kinyōbi no yoru wa nani o shimasu ka?

This means“What are you doing Friday night?” It’s a great phrase for making plans or just sparking up a casual conversation.

日曜の憂鬱

にちようのゆううつ

Nichiyō no yū utsu

This means “the Sunday blues.” When the weekend is coming to an end and it’s almost time to start work again日曜の憂鬱 is the phrase for the depression and stress people can feel when starting a new work week.

Every culture has its own unique way of speaking about timeand in Japanthe days of the week are a great example of this. Understanding and using these phrases can really elevate your fluency.

Learn the Japanese days of the week

Mastering the days of the week is one of the first steps to becoming a good communicator in Japanese. Learning Japanese seems dauntingbut it’s much easier than it seems. Our advice: Start with the basic names of the daystheir pronunciationand their kanji. Then when you’ve got mastered themthink about adding some of the phrases to your conversations too.

You can also find lots of online resources to learn Japanese. And if you need someone to practice withwe’ve got you covered. Practice with Preply’s online Japanese tutors.