Scheduling a meeting? Talking about your daily routine? Buying train tickets? You need time expressions. Japanese has unique readings for many dates and times that don’t follow obvious patterns — this guide covers them all.
Days of the Week (曜日)
| Day | Japanese | Reading | Kanji Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 月曜日 | げつようび | Moon |
| Tuesday | 火曜日 | かようび | Fire |
| Wednesday | 水曜日 | すいようび | Water |
| Thursday | 木曜日 | もくようび | Wood |
| Friday | 金曜日 | きんようび | Gold/Metal |
| Saturday | 土曜日 | どようび | Earth |
| Sunday | 日曜日 | にちようび | Sun |
Mnemonic Hack: The days follow the same elements as planets in many languages: Moon, Mars (fire), Mercury (water), Jupiter (wood), Venus (gold), Saturn (earth), Sun. Learn the kanji for these elements and you’ll never forget!
Months (月)
Japanese months are beautifully simple — just number + 月 (がつ):
| Month | Japanese | Month | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 (いちがつ) | July | 七月 (しちがつ) |
| February | 二月 (にがつ) | August | 八月 (はちがつ) |
| March | 三月 (さんがつ) | September | 九月 (くがつ) |
| April | 四月 (しがつ) | October | 十月 (じゅうがつ) |
| May | 五月 (ごがつ) | November | 十一月 (じゅういちがつ) |
| June | 六月 (ろくがつ) | December | 十二月 (じゅうにがつ) |
Days of the Month (日)
This is where it gets tricky. The first 10 days use special native Japanese readings:
| Date | Reading | Date | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1日 | ついたち | 6日 | むいか |
| 2日 | ふつか | 7日 | なのか |
| 3日 | みっか | 8日 | ようか |
| 4日 | よっか | 9日 | ここのか |
| 5日 | いつか | 10日 | とおか |
After the 10th, most dates use number + にち (e.g., 11日 = じゅういちにち). Exceptions: 14日 (じゅうよっか), 20日 (はつか), 24日 (にじゅうよっか).
Relative Time Words
| Past | Japanese | Future | Japanese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day before yesterday | おととい | Day after tomorrow | あさって |
| Yesterday | きのう | Tomorrow | あした |
| Last week | 先週 (せんしゅう) | Next week | 来週 (らいしゅう) |
| Last month | 先月 (せんげつ) | Next month | 来月 (らいげつ) |
| Last year | 去年 (きょねん) | Next year | 来年 (らいねん) |
Drill Time Words Until They’re Automatic
Irregular readings like ついたち and はつか won’t stick from reading a chart once. You need spaced repetition. Add these to your Kanjijo flashcard deck and let the SRS algorithm schedule reviews at the perfect intervals — so you never forget but never waste time over-reviewing.
SRS flashcards, kanji mnemonics, and writing practice. All free on iOS.