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 ichigatsusanjūichinichi desu.(誕生日は一月三十一日です。)= My birthday is Januarythirty 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.
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