Days of the week: 〜曜日

Each weekday name ends in ようび, and なんようび asks “what day?”.

Unit 5· Numbers, Counters & Time(Part 9 of 13)JLPTN5Episode 7· Japanese at the Train Station: What Time, Which Platform

Stating the Day of the Week with 〜曜日です

time topic: today

day predicate

kyou wa kinyoubi desu

Today is Friday.

Weekday (平日: 月〜金) vs Weekend (週末: 土・日)

Micro-Shift

次の金曜日に会いましょう。

Action on a specific day takes にLet's meet next Friday.

When an action occurs on a named day of the week, the particle に indicates the temporal point.

Example Sentences

日曜日(にちようびは)Sunday 休(やす)みday off
Sunday is a day off.
Word Details →
How it works
Days of the week like 日曜日 (Sunday) name specific days of the calendar cycle.
日曜日(にちようび)はSunday休(やす)みday off
Sunday is a day off
Word Details →

The seven days

Japanese	Meaning
月曜日げつようびgetsuyoubi	Monday
火曜日かようびkayoubi	Tuesday
水曜日すいようびsuiyoubi	Wednesday
木曜日もくようびmokuyoubi	Thursday
金曜日きんようびkinyoubi	Friday
土曜日どようびdoyoubi	Saturday
日曜日にちようびnichiyoubi	Sunday

Mental Model: The Elemental Cycle of the Cosmos

The Japanese days of the week are not arbitrary names. They follow an ancient planetary system connecting the seven visible celestial bodies with classical elements:

1. Monday: 月曜日(げつようび) (getsuyoubi) — Moon (月(つき) (tsuki)). 2. Tuesday: 火曜日(かようび) (kayoubi) — Fire (火(ひ) (hi) / Mars). 3. Wednesday: 水曜日(すいようび) (suiyoubi) — Water (水(みず) (mizu) / Mercury). 4. Thursday: 木曜日(もくようび) (mokuyoubi) — Wood/Tree (木(き) (ki) / Jupiter). 5. Friday: 金曜日(きんようび) (kinyoubi) — Gold/Metal (金(かね) (kane) / Venus / Payday!). 6. Saturday: 土曜日(どようび) (doyoubi) — Earth/Soil (土(つち) (tsuchi) / Saturn). 7. Sunday: 日曜日(にちようび) (nichiyoubi) — Sun (日(ひ) (hi) / Sun).

All seven days share the ending 〜曜日(〜ようび) (-youbi), which means “day of the week.” In fast daily speech, people frequently drop び and say げつよう, かよう, きんよう.

Calendar and Schedule Shorthand

On Japanese train timetables, restaurant opening hours, and calendar grids, space is tight. You will almost never see the full five-character word written out. Instead, single kanji inside parentheses are used:

(月): Monday
(火): Tuesday
(水): Wednesday
(木): Thursday
(金): Friday
(土): Saturday (often printed in blue on Japanese calendars)
(日): Sunday (often printed in red on Japanese calendars)

Asking the Day: 何曜日 vs 何日

When inquiring about the day, choose your question word with precision:

Asking for the day of the week:
今日は何曜日ですか？: “What day of the week is it today?”
Answer: 金曜日です: “It's Friday.”
The Foreigner Trap: Never ask *何日ですか？ when you want the day of the week! 何日 asks for the calendar date (e.g., “the 15th” or “how many days”).

Useful Week Vocabulary

週末(しゅうまつ) (shuumatsu): Weekend (Saturday and Sunday).
平日(へいじつ) (heijitsu): Weekdays (Monday through Friday).
毎週(まいしゅう) (maishuu): Every week.

Conversation

In Dialogue

Elin
日本語の授業は何曜日ですか。
What day of the week is Japanese class?
Kenji
火曜日(かようび)と木曜日(もくようび)ですよ。
It is on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Quick Check

毎週(まいしゅう)___は定休日(ていきゅうび)です。Every Wednesday is our regular holiday.

Select the correct day of the week for ‘Wednesday’ (Water day):