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Days, Months and Dates

11 min

The days of the week, the months and the days of the month, how a date is put in order and how to say today, tomorrow and yesterday. A date runs from the larger unit to the smaller, month then day: 七月しちがつ三日みっか

Summary

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PointRuleExampleEnglishLevel
Days of the weekseven days, each ending in ようびげつようび / どようびMonday / Saturday
Monthsnumber + がつごがつ / じゅうにがつMay / December
Today, tomorrow, yesterdayきょう, あした, きのうきょうはすいようびです。Today is Wednesday.
Day of the month1st–10th have their own words; from the 11th, number + にち七月しちがつ三日みっか / 七月しちがつ十一日じゅういちにち3 July / 11 July
Order of a dateyear, month, day: 年 月 日二千二十六年にせんにじゅうろくねん七月しちがつ三日みっか3 July 2026
Asking何曜日なんようび, 何月なんがつ, 何月なんがつ何日なんにち今日きょうは何月なんがつ何日なんにちですか。 — 十月じゅうがつ二十四日にじゅうよっかです。What's the date today? — 24 October
Saying whenに after a weekday, month or date; none after 今日きょう or 来週らいしゅうテストは月曜日げつようびにあります。The test is on Monday.
Every, the day before yesterday毎まい + day, week, month, year; おととい, あさって毎日まいにち、日本語にほんごを勉強べんきょうします。I study Japanese every day.
TrapApril, July and September: しがつ, しちがつ, くがつしがつApril
Trapthe 1st is ついたち, the 20th はつか七月しちがつ一日ついたち1 July

Days of the week

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DayEnglishLevel
にちようびSunday
げつようびMonday
かようびTuesday
すいようびWednesday
もくようびThursday
きんようびFriday
どようびSaturday
  • Every day ends in ようび, “day of the week”. げつようび / すいようび / にちようびMonday / Wednesday / Sunday
  • Japanese calendars usually begin the week on Sunday.
  • Ask the day with なんようび, and answer with the day and です. きょうはなんようびですか。 — きょうはすいようびです。What day is it today? — Today is Wednesday.
  • Written, a day is its kanji plus 曜日ようび; the kanji name the sun, the moon and five elements. 月曜日げつようび / 金曜日きんようびMonday / Friday
KanjiDayEnglishLevel
日にち日曜日にちようびSunday (sun)
月げつ月曜日げつようびMonday (moon)
火か火曜日かようびTuesday (fire)
水すい水曜日すいようびWednesday (water)
木もく木曜日もくようびThursday (tree)
金きん金曜日きんようびFriday (gold)
土ど土曜日どようびSaturday (earth)

Months

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MonthEnglishLevel
いちがつJanuary
にがつFebruary
さんがつMarch
しがつApril
ごがつMay
ろくがつJune
しちがつJuly
はちがつAugust
くがつSeptember
じゅうがつOctober
じゅういちがつNovember
じゅうにがつDecember
  • A month is its number plus がつ: ごがつ is the fifth month, May. ごがつ / じゅうにがつMay / December
  • April, July and September keep the old readings し, しち and く: しがつ, しちがつ, くがつ. しがつ / しちがつ / くがつApril / July / September
  • In writing the number is a kanji or a digit, followed by 月がつ. 五月ごがつ / 十二月じゅうにがつ / 5月がつMay / December / May

Days of the month

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DateEnglishLevel
七月しちがつ一日ついたち1 July
七月しちがつ二日ふつか2 July
七月しちがつ三日みっか3 July
七月しちがつ四日よっか4 July
七月しちがつ五日いつか5 July
七月しちがつ六日むいか6 July
七月しちがつ七日なのか7 July
七月しちがつ八日ようか8 July
七月しちがつ九日ここのか9 July
七月しちがつ十日とおか10 July
七月しちがつ十四日じゅうよっか14 July
七月しちがつ二十日はつか20 July
七月しちがつ二十四日にじゅうよっか24 July
  • From the 11th on, a day is its number plus にち; the 17th and the 19th take しち and く. 七月しちがつ十一日じゅういちにち / 七月しちがつ十七日じゅうしちにち / 七月しちがつ二十九日にじゅうくにち11 July / 17 July / 29 July
  • The words for the 2nd to the 10th also count days: 二日ふつか is the 2nd or two days. One day is 一日いちにち. See Counters. 二日ふつかかかります。It takes two days.

Years and the order of a date

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  • A date runs from the largest unit to the smallest: year 年, month 月, day 日. 二千二十六年にせんにじゅうろくねん七月しちがつ三日みっか3 July 2026
  • A year is a number plus 年ねん, read like any number. 二千二十六年にせんにじゅうろくねん / 千九百九十九年せんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうくねん2026 / 1999
  • Digits are common in writing: the kanji 年, 月 and 日 follow them. See Numbers. 2026年ねん7月がつ3日にち3 July 2026
  • Forms and official papers also count years by era: Reiwa 8 is 2026. 令和れいわ八年はちねん七月しちがつ三日みっか3 July 2026

Today, tomorrow, yesterday

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WordMeaningExampleEnglishLevel
きょうtodayきょうはすいようびです。Today is Wednesday.
あしたtomorrowあしたはもくようびです。Tomorrow is Thursday.
きのうyesterdayきのうはにちようびでした。Yesterday was Sunday.
  • In writing they are 今日きょう, 明日あした and 昨日きのう. The past of です is でした: です: Am, Is, Are. 昨日きのうは日曜日にちようびでした。Yesterday was Sunday.
UnitThisNextLastLevel
week今週こんしゅう来週らいしゅう先週せんしゅう
month今月こんげつ来月らいげつ先月せんげつ
year今年ことし来年らいねん去年きょねん
  • あさって is the day after tomorrow and おととい the day before yesterday. あさっては金曜日きんようびです。 / おとといは土曜日どようびでした。The day after tomorrow is Friday. / The day before yesterday was Saturday.
  • 毎まい before a unit means “every”: 毎日まいにち, 毎週まいしゅう, 毎月まいつき, 毎年まいとし. 毎週まいしゅう、土曜日どようびにテストがあります。There is a test every Saturday.

Asking and saying when

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PointRuleExampleEnglishLevel
Which weekday?何曜日なんようび今日きょうは何曜日なんようびですか。 — 金曜日きんようびです。What day is it today? — It's Friday.
Which month?何月なんがつ今いまは何月なんがつですか。 — 十月じゅうがつです。What month is it now? — It's October.
Which date?何月なんがつ何日なんにち今日きょうは何月なんがつ何日なんにちですか。 — 十月じゅうがつ二十四日にじゅうよっかです。What's the date today? — 24 October
When?いつパーティーはいつですか。 — 六月ろくがつ十日とおかです。When is the party? — On 10 June.
At a weekday, month or dateに follows the day, the month or the date. See Particles を, に, で, へ.パーティーは六月ろくがつ十日とおかにあります。 / テストは月曜日げつようびにあります。The party is on 10 June. / The test is on Monday.
With today, next weekNo に after 今日きょう, 明日あした, 昨日きのう, 来週らいしゅう.明日あしたテストがあります。 / 来週らいしゅうパーティーがあります。There is a test tomorrow. / There is a party next week.

Typical errors

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WrongRightRuleLevel
よんがつしがつthe fourth month is read しがつ, never よんがつ
きゅうがつくがつthe ninth month is read くがつ, never きゅうがつ
七月しちがつ一日いちにち七月しちがつ一日ついたちthe first of the month is 一日ついたち; 一日いちにち means “one day”
七月しちがつ五日ごにち七月しちがつ五日いつかthe 1st to the 10th have words of their own; number + にち starts at the 11th
七月しちがつ二十日にじゅうにち七月しちがつ二十日はつかthe 20th is 二十日はつか, not 二十日にじゅうにち
三日みっか七月しちがつ七月しちがつ三日みっかthe month comes before the day; Japanese has no day-first order
明日あしたにテストがあります。明日あしたテストがあります。明日あした is a time word counted from now and takes no に

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