Easy Guide: Learn Days in Japanese & Days of the Month

Yo, B!

Looking to learn days in Japanese?

And wondering why I called you “B?”  Don’t worry. Just keep “yo b” in mind as you read this guide. In this guide, you’ll learn days in Japanese — of the week, of the month, and other relevant words. 

Here’s a quick preview and I’ll explain it all below.

• Monday – 月曜日
• Tuesday – 火曜日
• Wednesday – 水曜日
• Thursday – 木曜日
• Friday – 金曜日
• Saturday- 土曜日
• Sunday – 日曜日

Let’s go.

Days of the Week in Japanese

The good news? All days of the week in Japanese follow a simple pattern.

They all contain “youbi” or “曜日” in Japanese.

Which sounds like “yo B.” Get it? So, if you’re a beginner and if you hear a “youbi,” that’s how you know you heard some day of the week in Japanese.

So, here’s the list of the days of the week in Japanese.

• Monday – 月曜日 – Getsuyoubi
• Tuesday – 火曜日 – Kayoubi
• Wednesday – 水曜日 – Suiyoubi
• Thursday – 木曜日 – Mokuyoubi
• Friday – 金曜日 – Kinyoubi
• Saturday– 土曜日 – Doyoubi
• Sunday – 日曜日 – Nichiyoubi

Now you know days from Monday to Sunday.

As a bonus, here are two more words you need to know. Because the weekend is part of the week too.

• Saturday & Sunday (or the weekend) – 土日 – Donichi –
  • If you’re clever, you’ll notice that “donichi” is just a combination of the first kanji from Saturday (土 – do) and Sunday (日 – nichi).
• Weekend – 週末 – Shuumatsu

Okay, now you know the days of the week. What’s next? These bonus words.

Bonus Words for Days in Japanese 

Now, aside from Monday and Tuesday, there are other Japanese words you should know.

Like, “today,” “tomorrow” and “the day after tomorrow.”

Here they are.

• today – 今日 – kyou
• tomorrow – 明日 – ashita
• yesterday – 昨日 – kinou
• the day before yesterday – おととい – ototoi
• the day after tomorrow – あさって – asatte
• the other day – 先日 – senjitsu
• weekday – 平日 – heijitsu
• holiday (day off) – 休日 – kyuujitsu
  • Yasumi is also acceptable
• day off – 休み – yasumi
• every day – 毎日 – mainichi
• someday – いつか – itsuka
  • As in, “someday, I will learn Japanese.”
• one day – ある日 – aru hi
  • As in, “One day, I woke up and decided to learn Japanese.”
• all day – 一日中 – ichnichijuu

So now you know the days in Japanese plus some relevant vocabulary.

Now, let’s move onto the days of the month in Japanese.

Days of the Month in Japanese

Now, onto days of the month in Japanese. Is it as easy as the first, the second or 15th of the month?

Well…

If you already know Japanese numbers…

…you’re sort of almost there.

You’re very close to mastering the days of the month.

There are variations that you need to memorize.

For example, the 1st of a month isn’t called “the first” or “ichi” but rather “tsuitachi.” And the 10th of the month doesn’t use “juu” which means “10.” It’s “tooka.”

But when you get to the 10s and 20s, most of them follow an easy formula, which I reveal below.

So, take a look below at the Japanese days of the month.

Day	Japanese	Romaji	Day	Japanese	Romaji	Day	Japanese	Romaji
1	ついたち	Tsuitachi	11	じゅういちにち	Juuichi nichi	21	にじゅういちにち	nijuuichi nichi
2	ふつか	Futsuka	12	じゅうににち	juuni nichi	22	にじゅうににち	nijuuni nichi
3	みっか	Mikka	13	じゅうさんにち	juusan nichi	23	にじゅうさんにち	nijuusan nichi
4	よっか	Yokka	14	じゅうよっか	juuyokka	24	にじゅうよっか	nijuuyokka
5	いつか	Itsuka	15	じゅうごにち	juugo nichi	25	にじゅうごにち	nijuugo nichi
6	むいか	Muika	16	じゅうろくにち	juuroku nichi	26	にじゅうろくにち	nijuuroku nichi
7	なのか	Nanoka	17	じゅうしちにち	juushichi nichi	27	にじゅうしちにち	nijuushichi nichi
8	ようか	Youka	18	じゅうはちにち	juuhachi nichi	28	にじゅうはちにち	nijuuhachi nichi
9	ここのか	Kokonoka	19	じゅうくにち	juuku nichi	29	にじゅうくにち	nijuuku nichi
10	とおか	Tooka	20	はつか	hatsuka	30	さんじゅうにち	sanjuu nichi
						31	さんじゅういちにち	sanjuuichi nichi

You will need to memorize the blue ones. Mostly from 1 to 10. But 11 and up are fairly easy.

From 11 and up, most follow this formula:

• [number in japanese] + [nichi]
• 11 is juuichi + nichi = juuichi ichi
• 12 is juuni + nichi = juuni nichi
• 25 is nijuugo + nichi = nijuugo nichi

The only ones that don’t follow the formula and need memorization are:

• 14 – juuyokka
• 20 – hatsuka
• 24 – nijuuyokka

So, learning the days of the month in Japanese is just a matter of memorization. Or reviewing a lot. It’s not hard. But with enough reviews and glances you’ll get it.

So, print this lesson or save that image I have below.

So, print this lesson or save that image I have above.

Good Example Sentences to Know

Here are some common phrases to know and use.

• What day is it today?
  • 今日は何の日ですか。
  • Kyou wa nan no hi desu ka?
• It’s Saturday.
  •  土曜日です。
  • Doyoubi desu.
• Christmas is December 25th.
  • クリスマスは１２月２５日です。
  • Kurisumasu wa juunigatsu nijuugonichi desu.
• My birthday is August 21st.
  • 私の誕生日は、８月２１日です。
  • Watashi no tanjoubi wa, hachigatsu no nijuuichinichi desu.
  • Get my lesson on Japanese birthdays here.
• It’s April first.
  • 4月１日です。
  • Shigatsu tsuitachi desu.

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Conclusion

Done!

Now you know all the days in Japanese. Plus, you know the complicated days of the month too.

If you want to master all of these fun words and phrases, print this page out. Or, copy out the words into a notebook and write them again and again.

That fun stuff really works.

By the way, since you’re learning Japanese…

…you NEED to LISTEN to the lanugage.

So, here’s a fun audio lesson where you’ll learn some basic words and greetings. Press play and listen below right now.

• Lesson #1 – Say Hello No Matter the Time of Day
• This fun lesson is by JapanesePod101. Click here to get MORE fun lessons.

 

– Written by the Main Junkie