Days of the Week in Japanese

The days of the week in Japanese (曜日, yōbi) follow a logical pattern based on celestial bodies and elements from traditional Chinese philosophy. Unlike many Western languages, Japanese weekday names are remarkably systematic and straightforward once you understand the pattern.

Each Japanese day combines a celestial body or natural element with the suffix "曜日" (yōbi), which means "day of the week." The first character represents the element or celestial body, while the characters "曜日" remain constant. This creates a consistent, logical naming system that makes Japanese weekday names relatively easy to learn.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about days of the week in Japanese, including kanji representations, pronunciation guides, cultural context, and practical usage.

Pronouncing Japanese days of the week correctly involves understanding a few key aspects of Japanese phonetics. Here's a detailed guide to help you master the pronunciation:

Syllable Breakdown

• 月曜日 (getsuyōbi): ge-tsu-yō-bi
• 火曜日 (kayōbi): ka-yō-bi
• 水曜日 (suiyōbi): su-i-yō-bi
• 木曜日 (mokuyōbi): mo-ku-yō-bi
• 金曜日 (kin'yōbi): ki-n-yō-bi (note the apostrophe separating 'n' from 'y')
• 土曜日 (doyōbi): do-yō-bi
• 日曜日 (nichiyōbi): ni-chi-yō-bi

Important Pronunciation Notes

• The ō symbol represents a long "o" sound, held for approximately twice as long as a regular "o".
• Japanese consonants are generally similar to English, but beware of "r" sounds which are closer to a mix between English "r", "l", and "d".
• The "tsu" in getsuyōbi is pronounced with the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth, creating a light "t" sound followed by "su".
• The 'n' in kin'yōbi is a syllabic 'n', slightly nasalized.

Kanji and Its Meaning

Each Japanese day of the week consists of a specific kanji character representing an element or celestial body, followed by "曜日" (yōbi), which means "day of the week":

• 月 (getsu/tsuki): Moon - this character also means "month"
• 火 (ka/hi): Fire
• 水 (sui/mizu): Water
• 木 (moku/ki): Wood/Tree
• 金 (kin/kane): Metal/Gold
• 土 (do/tsuchi): Earth/Soil
• 日 (nichi/hi): Sun - this character also means "day"

The characters "曜日" (yōbi) break down as:

• 曜 (yō): Relates to light or shining, but is mostly used in this specific context
• 日 (bi/hi): Day (same character as the Sun)

Hiragana Representation

For learners still mastering kanji, here are the full hiragana spellings:

• Monday: げつようび (getsuyōbi)
• Tuesday: かようび (kayōbi)
• Wednesday: すいようび (suiyōbi)
• Thursday: もくようび (mokuyōbi)
• Friday: きんようび (kin'yōbi)
• Saturday: どようび (doyōbi)
• Sunday: にちようび (nichiyōbi)

Common Phrases and Expressions

Here are some useful phrases for talking about days of the week in Japanese:

• "今日は何曜日ですか？" (Kyō wa nan'yōbi desu ka?) - "What day of the week is today?"
• "今日は月曜日です。" (Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.) - "Today is Monday."
• "明日は火曜日です。" (Ashita wa kayōbi desu.) - "Tomorrow is Tuesday."
• "昨日は日曜日でした。" (Kinō wa nichiyōbi deshita.) - "Yesterday was Sunday."

Talking About Weekly Events

To describe something that happens on a certain day regularly, use the particle に (ni) after the day:

• "水曜日に日本語のクラスがあります。" (Suiyōbi ni nihongo no kurasu ga arimasu.) - "I have Japanese class on Wednesdays."
• "毎週金曜日に会議があります。" (Maishū kin'yōbi ni kaigi ga arimasu.) - "There is a meeting every Friday."

The word "毎週" (maishū) means "every week" and can be used before the day to indicate a weekly recurring event.

Time Expressions with Days

• "月曜日の朝" (Getsuyōbi no asa) - "Monday morning"
• "木曜日の午後" (Mokuyōbi no gogo) - "Thursday afternoon"
• "土曜日の夜" (Doyōbi no yoru) - "Saturday night"

The Five Elements Connection

Japanese days of the week reflect the traditional Chinese five elements (五行, gogyō) - Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth - plus the Sun and Moon. This system demonstrates the strong cultural influence China has had on Japanese calendrical concepts.

The five elements appear in the same order as in traditional Chinese philosophy and are believed to represent the fundamental elements that compose all things in the universe. This elemental cycle is found throughout East Asian cultural traditions, from medicine to martial arts.

Calendar History in Japan

The seven-day week was not traditionally used in Japan until the Meiji Era (1868-1912), when Japan began adopting Western systems. Before this, Japan used a traditional lunar calendar with a ten-day week cycle called "jun" (旬).

The modern Japanese names for the days of the week were created during this period of modernization, cleverly adapting the Western planetary system to fit East Asian elemental concepts. For example, Mars (Tuesday in English) corresponds to Fire in the Japanese system.

Modern Day Associations

• 月曜日 (Monday): Often considered the start of the work week, associated with "Monday blues" (月曜病 - getsuyōbyō).
• 水曜日 (Wednesday): In some areas, this is traditionally a half-day for certain businesses.
• 金曜日 (Friday): Known as the gateway to the weekend, with the term "Premium Friday" (プレミアムフライデー) recently introduced to encourage leaving work early on the last Friday of the month.
• 土曜日 (Saturday) and 日曜日 (Sunday): Together called "週末" (shūmatsu) - the weekend.

Visual Associations

The kanji for Japanese days of the week are highly visual, which can help with memorization:

• 月 (Moon): Looks like a crescent moon
• 火 (Fire): Resembles flames with the 人 (person) radical modified
• 水 (Water): Shows water droplets or flowing water
• 木 (Wood): Looks like a tree with branches and roots
• 金 (Metal/Gold): Complex character, but associated with wealth
• 土 (Earth): Represents soil or ground with a horizontal line above
• 日 (Sun): Depicts the sun with a center mark

Mnemonic Patterns

Create a story linking the elements in order:

"The MOON rises over a FIRE, which is extinguished by WATER. From the wet ground grows a TREE (wood), beside which lies GOLD (metal). The gold sinks into the EARTH, and finally the SUN rises again to start a new cycle."

Pattern Recognition

Notice that each day follows the same pattern:

• [Element/Celestial Body] + 曜日 (yōbi)
• The pronunciation combines the On-reading (Chinese-derived reading) of the element kanji with "yōbi"

Connection to Other East Asian Languages

If you know Chinese or Korean, you'll notice they use the same system:

• Korean: 월요일 (woryoil), 화요일 (hwayoil), etc.
• Chinese: 星期一 (xīngqī yī), 星期二 (xīngqī èr), etc. - though Chinese uses a numerical system with the same celestial/elemental associations