How To Grasp the 7 Celestial Days of the Week in Japanese
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Many points of our lives revolve across the day of the week. Faculty and work schedules, holidays, and trash pick-up days are all tied to what day it’s. As a result of it’s such an ever-present idea, with the ability to speak concerning the days of the week in Japanese is crucial for rookies studying the language.
There are solely seven phrases you want for the day of the week—this information explains what they’re and the best way to keep in mind them. Then, you may take the following step to studying concerning the date and the way every little thing suits inside calendars. Earlier than you already know it, you’ll be scheduling your espresso date and Rosetta Stone tutoring periods in Japanese!
What are the times of the week in Japanese?
Just like the Western calendar, Japan makes use of a seven-day week, which incorporates 5 workdays and two weekend days. Every day in Japanese ends in -yōbi (曜日), which implies the one distinction it’s a must to keep in mind with the times of the week in Japanese is the primary kanji and its pronunciation.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | geh-tsoo-yoh-bee | Monday |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | kah-yoh-bee | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | soo-ee-yoh-bee | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | moh-koo-yoh-bee | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | kinyōbi | keen-yoh-bee | Friday |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | doh-yoh-bee | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | nee-chee-yoh-bee | Sunday |
The place did the names of the times of the week come from?
The times of the week in English have Roman and Norse mythology origins, however the names of the times of the week in Japanese are based mostly on the solar, moon, and planets that may reliably be seen with the bare eye. That is just like the way in which different cultures around the globe divided their weeks and months. The distinction within the order of the kanji used within the days of the week versus the order of the planets is expounded to the visible rotation of the celestial our bodies day-to-day.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| 太陽・日 | taiyō/hello | solar; day |
| 月 | tsuki | moon |
| 水星 | suisei | Mercury |
| 金星 | kinsei | Venus |
| 火星 | kasei | Mars |
| 木星 | mokusei | Jupiter |
| 土星 | dosei | Saturn |
How you can keep in mind Japanese weekdays
A simple strategy to keep in mind the times of the week in Japanese is by wanting on the kanji and their meanings somewhat than what the phrase seems like. Japanese calendars usually abbreviate the times of the week by omitting the -yōbi a part of the phrase, leaving the primary character by itself. So long as you already know that, the remaining is straightforward!
- Getsuyōbi (Monday): The character 月 means “moon,” which is strictly the place Mon-day will get its title.
- Kayōbi (Tuesday): The character 火 means “fireplace.” After a sluggish Monday, it’s time to get “fired up” on Tuesday.
- Suiyōbi (Wednesday): The character 水 means “water.” Water is moist, and the phrase “moist” is near Wed-nesday. It’s also possible to image Wednesday because the crest of a wave in the course of the week.
- Mokuyōbi (Thursday): The character 木 means “tree” or “wooden.” In English, Thursday comes from “Thor’s Day,” referring to the Norse god related to lightning and thunder. Image Thor’s thunderbolt placing the tallest factor round: a tree!
- Kinyōbi (Friday): The character 金 means “gold” or “cash.” Friday is normally payday, so that you get your “cash” then.
- Doyōbi (Saturday): The character 土 means “earth.” After a protracted week, it’s a lot simpler to really feel “grounded” on the primary day of the weekend.
- Nichiyōbi (Sunday): The character 日 means “solar” or “day,” which equals to—you guessed it—“Sunday”!
How you can say the date in Japanese
Japanese dates use a singular Japanese counter that mixes two totally different suffixes (-ka and -nichi) in pronunciation whereas utilizing the identical kanji suffix (日). Visually, the dates look very uniform: the quantity plus the kanji character for day. Nevertheless, sure days require particular consideration and are bolded within the chart under.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 一日 | tsuitachi | tsoo-ee-tah-chee | 1st |
| 二日 | futsuka | foo-tsoo-kah | 2nd |
| 三日 | mikka | meek-kah | third |
| 四日 | yokka | yohk-kah | 4th |
| 五日 | itsuka | ee-tsoo-kah | fifth |
| 六日 | muika | moo-ee-kah | sixth |
| 七日 | nanoka | nah-noh-kah | seventh |
| 八日 | yōka | yoh-kah | eighth |
| 九日 | kokonoka | koh-koh-noh-kah | ninth |
| 十日 | tōka | toh-kah | tenth |
| 十一日 | jūichinichi | joo-ee-chee-nee-chee | eleventh |
| 十二日 | jūninichi | joo-nee-nee-chee | twelfth |
| 十三日 | jūsannichi | joo-sahn-nee-chee | thirteenth |
| 十四日 | jūyokka | joo-yohk-kah | 14th |
| 十五日 | jūgonichi | joo-goh-nee-chee | fifteenth |
| 十六日 | jūrokunichi | joo-roh-koo-nee-chee | sixteenth |
| 十七日 | jūshichinichi | joo-shee-chee-nee-chee | seventeenth |
| 十八日 | jūhachinichi | joo-hah-chee-nee-chee | 18th |
| 十九日 | jūkunichi | joo-koo-nee-chee | nineteenth |
| 二十日 | hatsuka | hah-tsoo-kah | twentieth |
| 二十一日 | nijūichinichi | nee-joo-ee-chee-nee-chee | twenty first |
| 二十二日 | nijūninichi | nee-joo-nee-nee-chee | twenty second |
| 二十三日 | nijūsannichi | nee-joo-sahn-nee-chee | twenty third |
| 二十四日 | nijūyokka | nee-joo-yohk-kah | twenty fourth |
| 二十五日 | nijūgonichi | nee-joo-goh-nee-chee | twenty fifth |
| 二十六日 | nijūrokunichi | nee-joo-roh-koo-nee-chee | twenty sixth |
| 二十七日 | nijūshichinichi | nee-joo-shee-chee-nee-chee | twenty seventh |
| 二十八日 | nijūhachinichi | nee-joo-hah-chee-nee-chee | twenty eighth |
| 二十九日 | nijūkunichi | nee-joo-koo-nee-chee | twenty ninth |
| 三十日 | sanjūnichi | sahn-joo-nee-chee | thirtieth |
| 三十一日 | sanjūichinichi | sahn-joo-ee-chee-nee-chee | thirty first |
What are the irregular days of the month in Japanese?
On the Japanese calendar, days 1-10, 14, 19, 20, 24, and 29 have irregular pronunciations. When studying the times of the month, chances are you’ll discover it helpful to be taught the primary 10 days individually after which add the remainder of the times to your vocabulary as soon as you are feeling snug. The remainder of the times (apart from these ending in 4 or 9) are similar to counting numbers in Japanese with an added suffix, which is rather more simple.
The primary day of the month (tsuitachi) and the 20th day of the month (hatsuka) are essentially the most uncommon. Tsuitachi comes from the phrase tsukitachi (月立ち), which means “first day of the month.” Hatsuka makes use of the suffix -ka, however hatsu is an previous phrase for 20.
Helpful phrases to speak about days in Japanese
Understanding the times is necessary, however so is knowing the best way to discuss them. The time phrases on this desk will allow you to put the current day into context.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 今日 | kyō | kyoh | at present |
| 明日 | ashita | ah-shee-tah | tomorrow |
| 明後日 | asatte | ah-saht-teh | day after tomorrow |
| 昨日 | kinō | kee-noh | yesterday |
| 一昨日 | ototoi | oh-toh-toh-ee | day earlier than yesterday |
| 毎日 | mainichi | mah-ee-nee-chee | day by day |
| 何日 | nannichi | nahn-nee-chee | What day?; What number of days? |
| 何曜日 | nanyōbi | nahn-yoh-bee | What day of the week? |
Instance sentences with Japanese days of the week
You may take a look at a calendar and see the times of the week in Japanese written alongside the highest edge, however utilizing them in a sentence requires realizing the grammar behind Japanese particles and time.
In lots of circumstances, the day of the week is utilized in a sentence to specify when one thing is occurring. If the day goes earlier than the “to be” verb (desu, です), no further particle is critical, similar to a Japanese noun. Check out these instance sentences to see the times of the week in context.
- Sakkā no shiai wa nanyōbi desu ka?（サッカーの試合は何曜日ですか？）= What day is the soccer match?
- Doyōbi desu.（土曜日です。）= It’s on Saturday.
If the day goes in the course of the sentence as an alternative of earlier than the “to be” verb, days use the particle ni (に) similar to hours and time in Japanese.
- Watashitachi wa kayōbi ni shiken ga arimasu.（私たちは火曜日に試験があります。）= Now we have an examination on Tuesday.
A day will be the subject of the sentence somewhat than a time. In that case, the subject particle wa (は) is used after the day of the week.
- Suiyōbi wa pinku no fuku wo kiru.（水曜日はピンクの服を着る。）= On Wednesdays we put on pink.
Instance sentences with Japanese dates
Utilizing Japanese dates in a sentence is similar to utilizing the times of the week in Japanese in a sentence. Total, the grammatical guidelines are an identical. This can be a excellent alternative to observe utilizing the months of the yr in Japanese as nicely.
- Tanjōbi wa ichigatsu sanjūichinichi desu.（誕生日は一月三十一日です。）= My birthday is January thirty first.
- Kyō wa nannichi desu ka?（今日は何日ですか？）= What day is at present?
- Nijūyokka desu.（二十四日です。）= It’s the twenty fourth.
- Nigatsu futsuka ni ryōshin ga kimasu.（二月二日に両親が来ます。）= My mother and father are coming on February 2nd.
- Shichigatsu nanoka wa tanabata desu.（七月七日は七夕です。）= July seventh is Tanabata (Star Pageant).
Immerse your self in Japanese every day life with Rosetta Stone
Your calendar makes a fantastic examine assist. It helps you observe what days you put aside time for studying Japanese, when you may have exams or appointments, and the way lengthy till your subsequent alternative to talk with one other particular person in Japanese. Why not take it a step additional? Scratch out the “Monday” in your calendar and substitute it with getsuyōbi (月曜日) and browse the date to your self in Japanese each morning. By subsequent month, you’ll be a professional on the days of the month and days of the week in Japanese.
With Rosetta Stone, you be taught the times of the week the identical approach you discovered your native language: by means of context and immersion. The Dynamic Immersion methodology lets you be taught phrases individually—however extra importantly, you’ll instantly see them in sentences with pictures and audio from native audio system.
