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Days of the Week in Japanese: Chart, Meaning, and Mnemonics

The days of the week in Japanese all end with 曜日 (youbi). Monday is 月曜日, Tuesday is 火曜日, Wednesday is 水曜日, and so on through 日曜日 for Sunday. The easiest way to remember them is to learn the seven base kanji — moon, fire, water, wood, gold, earth, and sun — then attach 曜日.

Mnemonic rule: weekday = base element kanji + 曜日. Learn the element first and the full weekday becomes easier.

Written by YoruLearn Team · Last reviewed:

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Monday to Sunday Japanese Weekday Chart

EnglishJapaneseHiraganaKanjiLiteral element
Monday月曜日げつようび月moon
Tuesday火曜日かようび火fire
Wednesday水曜日すいようび水water
Thursday木曜日もくようび木wood
Friday金曜日きんようび金gold / metal
Saturday土曜日どようび土earth
Sunday日曜日にちようび日sun / day

Memory Tricks for Sun, Moon, Fire, Water, Wood, Gold, and Earth

The ending 曜日 is the stable part. The first kanji tells you which weekday it is, so memorizing the seven elements makes the full chart much easier.

Using Japanese Weekdays in Real Sentences

To talk about full dates, combine weekday vocabulary with days of the month, months in Japanese, and Japanese date format.

Japanese Weekday Abbreviations and Schedule Examples

Full dayShort formExample schedule
月曜日月月・水・金 9:00–17:00
火曜日火火曜日は休みです。
水曜日水水曜日に日本語を勉強します。
木曜日木木曜日までです。
金曜日金金曜日から始まります。
土曜日土土日は休みです。
日曜日日日曜日は家にいます。

Calendars, shop hours, and timetables often shorten weekdays to one kanji inside parentheses, such as 8月7日（金）. Learn both the full reading and the one-character abbreviation so chart knowledge transfers to real schedules.

5 Common Mistakes with Japanese Weekdays

  1. Memorizing all seven as isolated blocks. It is easier to learn the shared ending first.
  2. Mixing up 日 as sun vs day. The same kanji shows up in many date expressions.
  3. Confusing 木 and 土. Thursday and Saturday are easy to swap if you memorize only shapes.
  4. Forgetting the particle に. Use it when the weekday marks the time of an action.
  5. Not linking weekdays to wider date study. Weekdays stick better when you also learn months, dates, and schedule phrases.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say Monday in Japanese?

Monday is 月曜日, read げつようび.

How do you say days of the week in Japanese?

All Japanese weekday names use the pattern base kanji plus 曜日.

What does youbi mean in Japanese weekdays?

曜日 means weekday or day of the week.

Why are Japanese weekdays connected to planets and elements?

The weekday system uses traditional kanji linked to celestial bodies and classical elements.

What is Sunday in Japanese?

Sunday is 日曜日, read にちようび.

What is the best way to memorize Japanese weekdays?

Learn the seven base kanji, attach 曜日, and then practice them in real schedule sentences.

Related Study Pages

Days in JapaneseThe broader hub for weekdays, dates, and relative day words. Months in JapaneseJanuary to December with readings and examples. Days of the Month in Japanese1st to 31st with irregular readings. Japanese Date FormatHow full dates are written and read.

Lock in Schedule Words with YoruLearn

The YoruLearn app helps you retain weekdays, dates, and routine phrases through spaced repetition flashcards, reading practice, and adaptive review.

Get on iOSJoin Android waitlistStudy Date Format

Build a Japanese Study-Date Plan

Pick your next study date, read it aloud, then attach a short event word. It turns weekday vocabulary into a calendar habit.

Check the month in the Japanese months chart, the irregular day in days of the month, and the written order in Japanese date format.