Where did it come from?

The seven - day - per - week concept was introduced to Japan in the early 9th century. A Buddhist monk brought it back from China, and it was mainly applied to fortunetelling. It became part of everyday life after Japan officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 19th century.pexels-pixabay-45178.jpg

How to say and write the days of the week in Japanese

Let me first introduce the word 曜日 (ようび - yōbi); it means "day of the week." Each day has one unique kanji before 曜日. Pretty simple, right? The kanji 曜 doesn't look super simple though - most Japanese kids learn it around age 7 or 8.

These are the seven days

Yes. I counted. There are seven.
EnglishHiraganaKanjiRomaji
Mondayげつようび月曜日Getsuyōbi
Tuesdayかようび火曜日Kayōbi
Wednesdayすいようび水曜日Suiyōbi
Thursdayもくようび木曜日Mokuyōbi
Fridayきんようび金曜日Kin’yōbi
Saturdayどようび土曜日Doyōbi
Sundayにちようび日曜日Nichiyōbi
If you’re taking Japanese classes in Dubai, many language centres around Jumeirah and the broader Dubai Marina area teach these in the first lessons - often included in Berlitz Jumeirah Centre Japanese beginner courses or Jumeirah Centre kids Japanese classes.

Abbreviations

In everyday conversation, people often say 月曜 (getsuyō) instead of 月曜日 (getsuyōbi). In written format, you might see a single letter like 月. If a shop is open Monday to Friday, the sign might say 月 - 金.

Japanese date format

Japan generally writes dates in the order: year - month - day, then the day - of - week. Example: 2023年10月16日　月曜日 2023年10月16日（月） Sometimes a year is written using the Japanese era name such as 令和5年. (That’s another article.)

Good news: easy to remember this way!

The kanji before 曜日 correspond to planets, a star, or the Moon - a helpful mnemonic. Each kanji links to a celestial object:
Day of the weekPlanet / Star / Satellite (Japanese)Planet / Star / Satellite (English)Note
月曜日月 (つき - tsuki)Moon月 also means ‘month’. (Confusing, I know.)
火曜日火星 (かせい - kasei)Mars火 means ‘fire’.
水曜日水星 (すいせい - suisei)Mercury水 means ‘water’.
木曜日木星 (もくせい - mokusei)Jupiter木 means ‘wood’.
金曜日金星 (きんせい - kinsei)Venus金 means ‘gold’.
土曜日土星 (どせい - dosei)Saturn土 means ‘earth’ (soil).
日曜日太陽 (たいよう - taiyō)SunThe first 日 means ‘sun’, and the second 日 means ‘day’.

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Related words

Here are words that go with week and days: Practical tip for UAE readers: when planning around the UAE calendar (National Day, public holidays, school term dates), consider combining a Japanese study schedule at your local Jumeirah Centre with a UAE holiday calendar so you don’t clash with major public days.
EnglishHiraganaKanjiRomaji
Weekしゅう週Shū
A weekいっしゅうかん一週間Isshūkan
Weekday(s)へいじつ平日Heijitsu
Weekendしゅうまつ週末Shūmatsu
National holidayしゅくじつ祝日Shukujitsu
Holidayきゅうじつ休日Kyūjitsu
Todayきょう今日Kyō
Tomorrowあした / あす明日Ashita / Asu
Day after tomorrowあさって明後日Asatte
Yesterdayきのう昨日Kinō
Day before yesterdayおととい一昨日Ototoi
This weekこんしゅう今週Konshū
Next weekらいしゅう来週Raishū
Last weekせんしゅう先週Senshū
Beginning of the weekしゅうあけ週明けShūake

Cultural facts

What day is the start of the week? Traditionally some calendars list Sunday as the first day of the week in Japan. The ISO standard defines Monday as the first day. If someone in Japan says "next Sunday," it’s sometimes safest to clarify - same as here in the UAE when booking services or classes. (If you’re booking a Jumeirah Centre Japanese workshop or clinic appointment in Dubai, confirm the exact date to avoid confusion.) Colors in the calendar Typical Japanese calendars show Saturdays in blue and Sundays and national holidays in red. (Fun fact: Saturdays got blue to give a visual distinction on printed calendars).pexels-photo-7845079.jpg

Use them in sentences

My English teachers insisted on full sentences. Here are examples - casual and polite forms: If you study at a local language provider - e.g., Jumeirah Centre Japanese conversation courses - you’ll practise these sentence types in role - plays like booking appointments, shopping or asking about opening times.
EnglishHiraganaKanji + HiraganaRomajiNote
Today is Monday.きょうはげつよう。今日は月曜。Kyō wa getsuyō.Casual
Today is Monday.きょうはげつようびです。今日は月曜日です。Kyō wa getsuyōbi desu.Polite
What day is tomorrow?あした、なんようだっけ？明日、何曜だっけ？Ashita, nan’yō dakke?Casual
What day is tomorrow?あしたはなんようびですか？明日は何曜日ですか？Ashita wa nan’yōbi desu ka?Polite
The day after tomorrow is Tuesday.あさってはかよう。明後日は火曜。Asatte wa kayō.Casual
The day after tomorrow is Tuesday.あさってはかようびです。明後日は火曜日です。Asatte wa kayōbi desu.Polite
Last Wednesday was a national holiday.せんしゅうのすいようはしゅくじつだった。先週の水曜は祝日だった。Senshū no suiyō wa shukujitsu datta.Casual
Last Wednesday was a national holiday.せんしゅうのすいようびはしゅくじつでした。先週の水曜日は祝日でした。Senshū no suiyōbi wa shukujitsu deshita.Polite
This Thursday will be rainy.こんしゅうのもくようはあめ。今週の木曜は雨。Konshū no mokuyō wa ame.Casual
This Thursday will be rainy.こんしゅうのもくようびはあめです。今週の木曜日は雨です。Konshū no mokuyōbi wa ame desu.Polite
The class is from yesterday until Friday.じゅぎょうはきのうからきんようまで。授業は昨日から金曜まで。Jugyō wa kinō kara kin'yō made.Casual
The class is from yesterday until Friday.じゅぎょうはきのうからきんようびまでです。授業は昨日から金曜日までです。Jugyō wa kinō kara kin’yōbi made desu.Polite
The concert is on Saturday next week.こんさーとはらいしゅうどよう。コンサートは来週土曜。Konsāto wa raishū doyō.Casual
The concert is on Saturday next week.こんさーとはらいしゅうのどようびです。コンサートは来週の土曜日です。Konsāto wa raishū no doyōbi desu.Polite
I want to take it slow on Sunday.にちようはゆっくりしたい。日曜はゆっくりしたい。Nichiyō wa yukkuri shitai.Casual
I want to take it slow on Sunday.にちようびはゆっくりしたいです。日曜日はゆっくりしたいです。Nichiyōbi wa yukkuri shitai desu.Polite
The day before yesterday was a holiday.おとといはきゅうじつだった。一昨日は休日だった。Ototoi wa kyūjitsu datta.Casual
The day before yesterday was a holiday.おとといはきゅうじつでした。一昨日は休日でした。Ototoi wa kyūjitsu deshita.Polite
I’m going to Tokyo for a week.いっしゅうかんとうきょうにいってくる。一週間東京に行ってくる。Isshūkan Tokyo ni itte kuru.Casual
I’m going to Tokyo for a week.いっしゅうかんとうきょうにいってきます。一週間東京に行ってきます。Isshūkan Tokyo ni itte kimasu.Polite
I have work on weekdays.へいじつはしごとがある。平日は仕事がある。Heijitsu wa shigoto ga aru.Casual
I have work on weekdays.へいじつはしごとがあります。平日は仕事があります。Heijitsu wa shigoto ga arimasu.Polite
What’s your plan for the weekend?しゅうまつのよていは？週末の予定は？Shūmatsu no yotei wa?Casual
Do you have a plan for the weekend?しゅうまつのごよていはありますか？週末のご予定はありますか？Shūmatsu no goyotei wa arimasu ka?Polite
I’m very busy at the beginning of the week.しゅうあけはすごくいそがしい。週明けはすごく忙しい。Shūake wa sugoku isogashii.Casual
I’m very busy at the beginning of the week.しゅうあけはとてもいそがしいです。週明けはとても忙しいです。Shūake wa totemo isogashii desu.Polite

Days of the week Japanese songs

Music helps memory. A few tunes worth searching: 一週間 (Isshūkan) - a Japanese rendition of a Russian folk song Day of the week rap - fun rhythm to learn 曜日 Weeeek by GReeeeN - pop song that mentions the days (Hint: to find lyrics, add 歌詞 (kashi) to your search.)

Get a Japanese calendar

I recommend getting a Japanese calendar - maybe one featuring a favourite anime, actor, or place. Hang it on the wall, or keep it on your desk. It’ll help familiarise you with the days and public holidays. If you live in the UAE, pick a calendar that also notes UAE holidays (National Day, Eid, etc.) so you can plan classes or events at places like Jumeirah Centre around local closures. Or better yet, create your own Japanese - UAE hybrid calendar: add Japanese words for the days and mark UAE public holidays - a handy study tool and a lovely personal project. This article may be published on a different day, but at the time of writing it's 金曜日 (Friday) here. What day is it where you are now? Whatever day it is, I wish you a lovely one! Hungry for more free Japanese language lessons? Keep checking our Japanese blog for fresh articles each month - and if you’re in Dubai, search for Jumeirah Centre Japanese classes or Jumeirah Centre Japanese cultural events to find local face - to - face and online options. Top of Form For structured practice, Berlitz UAE can help - whether you learn at our Dubai branches (Jumeirah or JLT), study on-site in DIFC, or visit our Abu Dhabi branches in Khalidiya and Khalifa.