Japanese days of the week end in 曜日 (yōbi): 月曜日 (getsuyōbi) is Monday and 日曜日 (nichiyōbi) is Sunday. Months are simply numbered: 一月 (ichigatsu), "month one", is January and 十二月 (jūnigatsu) is December. Watch three readings: April is 四月 (shigatsu), July 七月 (shichigatsu) and September 九月 (kugatsu).
- Words
- 40: days, months, seasons and time words
- Day names
- moon, fire, water, wood, metal, earth, sun
- Months
- numbered 1 to 12, often written 1月, 2月…
- Level
- A1
40 Japanese calendar words
Months are shown in kanji numerals, as in vertical text and formal writing. On calendars, signs and screens you will usually see Arabic numerals instead: 4月 for April. This is the calendar pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | Monday |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | kin'yōbi | Friday |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | Sunday |
| 一月 | ichigatsu | January |
| 二月 | nigatsu | February |
| 三月 | sangatsu | March |
| 四月 | shigatsu | April |
| 五月 | gogatsu | May |
| 六月 | rokugatsu | June |
| 七月 | shichigatsu | July |
| 八月 | hachigatsu | August |
| 九月 | kugatsu | September |
| 十月 | jūgatsu | October |
| 十一月 | jūichigatsu | November |
| 十二月 | jūnigatsu | December |
| 春 | haru | spring |
| 夏 | natsu | summer |
| 秋 | aki | autumn |
| 冬 | fuyu | winter |
| 日付 | hizuke | date |
| カレンダー | karendā | calendar |
| 世紀 | seiki | century |
| 十年 | jūnen | decade |
| 季節 | kisetsu | season |
| 午後 | gogo | afternoon |
| 真夜中 | mayonaka | midnight |
| 夜明け | yoake | dawn |
| 明後日 | asatte | the day after tomorrow |
| 一昨日 | ototoi | the day before yesterday |
| 先週 | senshū | last week |
| 来月 | raigetsu | next month |
| 今年 | kotoshi | this year |
| 祝日 | shukujitsu | public holiday |
| うるう年 | urūdoshi | leap year |
| 平日 | heijitsu | weekday |
| 二週間 | nishūkan | fortnight |
Where do the Japanese day names come from?
Each day is named after one of seven heavenly bodies, the same old system that gave English Sunday and Monday. The first kanji is the element; 曜日 means "day of the week".
| Day | Reading | First kanji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | 月, moon | Monday |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | 火, fire (Mars) | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | 水, water (Mercury) | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | 木, wood (Jupiter) | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | kin'yōbi | 金, metal, gold (Venus) | Friday |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | 土, earth (Saturn) | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | 日, sun | Sunday |
In speech the final 日 is often dropped: 月曜 (getsuyō), 金曜 (kin'yō). Calendars and timetables shorten each day to its first kanji in brackets, so (土) is Saturday. To say something happens on a day, add に:
月曜日 に ゆき は スマートフォン を 見ました。Getsuyōbi ni Yuki wa sumātofon o mimashita.
Words that are relative to today, such as 今日, 明日, 先週 (senshū, last week) and 来月 (raigetsu, next month), take no に: 来月日本に行きます, I'm going to Japan next month.
How do you say dates in Japanese?
Dates run from big to small: year, month, day. 2026年10月14日 is read nisen nijūroku-nen jūgatsu jūyokka. Months are just a number plus 月 (gatsu), but three numbers need care: 四月 is shigatsu, never yongatsu; 七月 is shichigatsu; and 九月 is kugatsu.
The days of the month are harder. The first ten have their own native readings, as do the 14th, 20th and 24th; every other date is the number plus nichi.
- 一日tsuitachithe 1st
- 二日futsukathe 2nd
- 三日mikkathe 3rd
- 四日yokkathe 4th
- 五日itsukathe 5th
- 六日muikathe 6th
- 七日nanokathe 7th
- 八日yōkathe 8th
- 九日kokonokathe 9th
- 十日tōkathe 10th
- 十四日jūyokkathe 14th
- 二十日hatsukathe 20th
- 二十四日nijūyokkathe 24th
毎月 十五日、 七号室 が 予約 されます。Maitsuki jūgonichi, nanagōshitsu ga yoyaku saremasu.
Seasons, holidays and words for last week and next year
The four seasons are 春 (haru, spring), 夏 (natsu, summer), 秋 (aki, autumn) and 冬 (fuyu, winter). A story can set its scene with nothing more than a month and a day:
八月 の 最後 の 日曜日。Hachigatsu no saigo no nichiyōbi.
Last, this and next follow a pattern with 先 (sen, previous), 今 (kon, this) and 来 (rai, coming): 先週, 今週, 来週 for weeks; 先月, 今月, 来月 for months. Years break the pattern: last year is 去年 (kyonen), this year 今年 (kotoshi) and next year 来年 (rainen).
誕生日は何月何日ですか。
Tanjōbi wa nangatsu nannichi desu ka.
When is your birthday?
七月二十日です。
Shichigatsu hatsuka desu.
It's the 20th of July.
来週の金曜日は祝日です。
Raishū no kin'yōbi wa shukujitsu desu.
Next Friday is a public holiday.
平日は忙しいです。
Heijitsu wa isogashii desu.
I'm busy on weekdays.
Read an A1 Japanese story and spot the days and dates: tap any word to see its meaning.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Why is April shigatsu and not yongatsu?
四 has two readings, shi and yon. Months use shi, the reading borrowed from Chinese, so April is shigatsu. Likewise July is shichigatsu (not nanagatsu) and September is kugatsu (not kyūgatsu).
How do you write the date in Japanese?
Year, month, day, each with its own kanji: 2026年10月14日. Japan also uses era years, so the same date can appear on forms as 令和8年10月14日.
What does 月曜日 literally mean?
Moon day of the week, just as Monday is the moon's day in English. 日曜日 is the sun's day; the others are named after fire, water, wood, metal and earth, the old names for the five visible planets.
How do you say "the day after tomorrow" in Japanese?
明後日 (asatte). The day before yesterday is 一昨日 (ototoi). In formal speech, such as on the news, you will also hear myōgonichi and issakujitsu for the same kanji.