Yukigo
Days and months in Japanese
The Japanese calendar is a little culture lesson: the days of the week are named after the sun, the moon and the five elements, while the months are simply numbered.
The only real traps are the readings of the days of the month, which use the native Japanese series from 1 to 10 — highlighted below.
The days of the week
They all end in 〜曜日 (yōbi). The first character is the sun, the moon or one of the five classical elements.
| 日本語 | Kana | Rōmaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | げつようび | getsuyōbi | Monday · moon |
| 火曜日 | かようび | kayōbi | Tuesday · fire |
| 水曜日 | すいようび | suiyōbi | Wednesday · water |
| 木曜日 | もくようび | mokuyōbi | Thursday · wood |
| 金曜日 | きんようび | kin’yōbi | Friday · gold |
| 土曜日 | どようび | doyōbi | Saturday · earth |
| 日曜日 | にちようび | nichiyōbi | Sunday · sun |
The months
Number + 月 (gatsu): nothing to memorize if you know your numbers. Just watch 4, 7 and 9, which use the readings shi, shichi and ku here.
| 日本語 | Kana | Rōmaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一月 | いちがつ | ichigatsu | January |
| 二月 | にがつ | nigatsu | February |
| 三月 | さんがつ | sangatsu | March |
| 四月 | しがつ | shigatsu | April |
| 五月 | ごがつ | gogatsu | May |
| 六月 | ろくがつ | rokugatsu | June |
| 七月 | しちがつ | shichigatsu | July |
| 八月 | はちがつ | hachigatsu | August |
| 九月 | くがつ | kugatsu | September |
| 十月 | じゅうがつ | jūgatsu | October |
| 十一月 | じゅういちがつ | jūichigatsu | November |
| 十二月 | じゅうにがつ | jūnigatsu | December |
The days of the month
This is where the irregulars live: from 1 to 10 (plus 14, 20 and 24) native readings are used — highlighted in the table. The rest is regular: number + 日 (nichi).
| # | Kanji | Kana | Rōmaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一日 | ついたち | tsuitachi |
| 2 | 二日 | ふつか | futsuka |
| 3 | 三日 | みっか | mikka |
| 4 | 四日 | よっか | yokka |
| 5 | 五日 | いつか | itsuka |
| 6 | 六日 | むいか | muika |
| 7 | 七日 | なのか | nanoka |
| 8 | 八日 | ようか | yōka |
| 9 | 九日 | ここのか | kokonoka |
| 10 | 十日 | とおか | tōka |
| 11 | 十一日 | じゅういちにち | jūichinichi |
| 14 | 十四日 | じゅうよっか | jūyokka |
| 20 | 二十日 | はつか | hatsuka |
| 24 | 二十四日 | にじゅうよっか | nijūyokka |
Today, tomorrow, yesterday
The time words you'll use every day from your very first sentences.
| 日本語 | Kana | Rōmaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう | kyō | today |
| 明日 | あした | ashita | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | kinō | yesterday |
| 今週 | こんしゅう | konshū | this week |
| 来月 | らいげつ | raigetsu | next month |
| 毎日 | まいにち | mainichi | every day |
How dates are written
From large to small: year, month, day — 2026年7月2日 reads nisen nijūroku-nen shichigatsu futsuka. Time works the same way: 3時 (sanji, “three o'clock”).
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Frequently asked questions
Why are the days named after elements?
Like in the West, they come from the celestial bodies: the sun and moon plus the five visible planets, matched with the five elements of Chinese tradition (fire, water, wood, metal, earth).
How do you say today, tomorrow and yesterday?
Kyō (今日), ashita (明日), kinō (昨日). Their readings are completely irregular: learn them as whole words.
What does tsuitachi mean?
It's the first day of the month (一日): an irregular reading derived from tsuki-tachi, “the moon rising”.
In what order are dates written?
Large to small: year → month → day, 2026年7月2日. On documents you'll often also see the Japanese era (令和, Reiwa).