Other languages：繁體中文｜日本語｜한국어

In Japanese, days of the week are expressed with 「曜日（ようび）」. Monday through Sunday are 「月曜日、火曜日、水曜日、木曜日、金曜日、土曜日、日曜日」. In Chinese, people are used to saying 星期一, 星期二, and continuing in numerical order, while Japanese switches to 月、火、水、木、金、土、日, which can make calendars slightly confusing at first. Once you are in Japan, store notices also do not always write out the full word 「曜日」. Expressions such as 「月曜定休」「月〜金」「土日祝」 are very common. After memorizing the readings of all seven days, you also need to recognize how 「何曜日」 is used to ask what day of the week it is and when 「に」 appears after a weekday. These forms often come up together in schedules, reservations, and business hours.

How Do You Read 「月曜日」 Through 「日曜日」? A Complete Guide to the Days of the Week in Japanese

Monday through Sunday in Japanese are, in order, 「月曜日、火曜日、水曜日、木曜日、金曜日、土曜日、日曜日」. The 「曜日（ようび）」 portion is the same in all seven names, so what you really need to memorize separately is the reading of the first character: 月 is 「げつ」, 火 is 「か」, 水 is 「すい」, 木 is 「もく」, 金 is 「きん」, 土 is 「ど」, and 日 is 「にち」. This means 「月曜日」 is read 「げつようび」, 「火曜日」 is 「かようび」, and so on through Sunday, 「にちようび」.

Chinese	Japanese	Kana	Common abbreviation	Corresponding celestial body
星期一	月曜日	げつようび	月曜／月	Moon
星期二	火曜日	かようび	火曜／火	Mars
星期三	水曜日	すいようび	水曜／水	Mercury
星期四	木曜日	もくようび	木曜／木	Jupiter
星期五	金曜日	きんようび	金曜／金	Venus
星期六	土曜日	どようび	土曜／土	Saturn
星期日	日曜日	にちようび	日曜／日	Sun

When looking at Japanese calendars, business hours, or reservation pages, 「曜日」 is not always written out in full. Forms such as 「月曜」 and 「火曜」 omit the final 「日」, while compact calendars may use only 「月、火、水、木、金、土、日」. So when you see 「月」 in a weekday column, you need to understand it as Monday rather than the word 「月」 meaning “month.”

Weekdays generally refer to Monday through Friday, or 「月・火・水・木・金」. Saturday and Sunday are often grouped together as 「土日（どにち）」. Japanese store notices also frequently use forms such as 「月〜金」「土日」「土日祝」, so learning the full names, readings, and abbreviations together will make calendars and business information much easier to recognize.

How Do You Say the Days of the Week in Japanese? Using 「曜日」 and 「何曜日」

The Japanese word for “day of the week” is 「曜日（ようび）」. By placing 月、火、水、木、金、土、日 before it, you get 「月曜日」「火曜日」 through 「日曜日」. To ask “what day of the week,” replace the weekday name with 「何（なん）」 and say 「何曜日（なんようび）」. For example, to ask what day it is today, you can say 「今日は何曜日ですか」, and answer with 「今日は月曜日です」. If the event itself is already known and you only want to confirm which weekday it falls on, you can also ask 「定休日は何曜日ですか」 or 「次の会議は何曜日ですか」. Here, 「何曜日」 asks only for the weekday, not the date or time.

• Example: 今日は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: きょうは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is it today?
  「何曜日」 asks for the weekday, so the answer will be a weekday name such as 「月曜日」 or 「火曜日」, not a calendar date.
• Example: 今日は月曜日です。
  Kana: きょうは げつようびです。
  Translation: Today is Monday.
  To answer with a weekday, simply place the actual weekday name before 「です」. For example, 「水曜日です」 means Wednesday, and 「日曜日です」 means Sunday.
• Example: 定休日は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: ていきゅうびは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the regular closing day?
  「定休日」 refers to a store’s regular closing day, so this question can be used at restaurants, cafés, and other businesses when asking which weekday they are regularly closed.
• Example: 次の会議は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: つぎの かいぎは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the next meeting?
  If you already know that the topic is “the next meeting” and only want to confirm which weekday it is scheduled for, you can place 「次の会議」 before 「は」 and use 「何曜日」 to ask.

「何曜日」, 「何時（なんじ）」, and 「いつ」 can all be used to ask about time, but they ask about different ranges. 「何曜日」 asks only for the day of the week, such as Monday or Friday. 「何時」 asks for the time, such as 3:00 p.m. 「いつ」 does not limit the expected answer to a weekday, date, or clock time and can broadly mean “when.” For example, 「会議は何曜日ですか」 asks what day of the week the meeting is held, 「会議は何時ですか」 asks what time it starts, and 「会議はいつですか」 simply asks when the meeting is, so the answer could be a weekday, date, or another time expression. If these time-related question words are easy to confuse, you can continue with the guide on the differences between Japanese 「いつ」「何時」「何分」, including time questions, particles, and example sentences.

Why Are the Japanese Days of the Week 「月火水木金土日」? The Origin of 「七曜」

The characters 「日、月、火、水、木、金、土」 used in Japanese weekday names come from 「七曜」, which refers to the Sun, Moon, and five planets visible to the naked eye. 日 corresponds to the Sun, 月 to the Moon, while 火、水、木、金、土 correspond respectively to Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. So the 「火」 in 「火曜日」 is not simply taken from the element fire but refers to Mars. Likewise, 「水曜日」「木曜日」「金曜日」「土曜日」 are associated with Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. In the modern Monday-to-Sunday order, this gives the familiar sequence 「月・火・水・木・金・土・日」.

「七曜」 reached Japan long before the modern seven-day weekly system became part of everyday life. Early on, it appeared mainly in calendars and astrology and was also used to judge whether particular dates were auspicious or inauspicious. At that time, it was not yet used in the modern way to organize workdays, school schedules, or regular business closures. It was during the Meiji period that the seven-day week gradually entered everyday life. When memorizing Japanese weekdays, you can connect Monday through Sunday as 「月火水木金土日」 and learn the readings together as 「月曜日（げつようび）、火曜日（かようび）、水曜日（すいようび）、木曜日（もくようび）、金曜日（きんようび）、土曜日（どようび）、日曜日（にちようび）」.

Do You Add 「に」 After a Day of the Week in Japanese? Using 「曜日」 and 「から〜まで」

When saying that something happens on a particular weekday in Japanese, 「曜日＋に」 is common. For example, 「月曜日に東京へ行きます」 means “I’m going to Tokyo on Monday.” However, weekdays and dates differ somewhat from clearly specified clock times such as 「7時に」. The 「に」 after 「月曜日」 or 「土曜日」 can sometimes be omitted, so 「土曜日、映画を見ました」 is also possible. When you use 「曜日＋は」 instead, the perspective shifts slightly: rather than simply marking when the action occurs, it makes that day the topic or contrasts it with other days.

If you are describing a period extending from one weekday to another rather than a single day, use 「から」 and 「まで」. 「から」 follows the starting day and 「まで」 follows the ending day, so 「月曜日から金曜日まで働きます」 means “I work from Monday to Friday.” The two particles do not have to appear together. You can also say only 「月曜日から」 or 「金曜日まで」 to indicate just the starting point or ending point.

Form	Main meaning	Nuance / usage	Example	English
曜日＋に	Do something on a particular weekday	Marks the weekday as the time when the action occurs	月曜日に東京へ行きます。	I’m going to Tokyo on Monday.
曜日＋action	Do something on a particular weekday	「に」 after the weekday is omitted, while the meaning remains clear from context	土曜日、映画を見ました。	I watched a movie on Saturday.
曜日＋は	As for a particular weekday / on that weekday	Makes the day the topic and often creates contrast with other days	月曜日は東京へ行きます。	On Monday, I’m going to Tokyo.
毎週＋曜日＋に	Do something regularly on the same weekday every week	Explicitly indicates weekly repetition	毎週水曜日に日本語を勉強します。	I study Japanese every Wednesday.
曜日＋から	Starting from a particular weekday	Marks the beginning of a period	月曜日から仕事が始まります。	Work starts on Monday.
曜日＋まで	Until a particular weekday	Marks the end of a period	金曜日まで働きます。	I work until Friday.
曜日＋から＋曜日＋まで	From one weekday to another	Gives both the starting and ending day	月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。	I work from Monday to Friday.

Also, 「今日（きょう）」「明日（あした）」「昨日（きのう）」 and the question word 「いつ」 already express time directly, so they normally do not take the time particle 「に」. This is why you say 「明日東京へ行きます」 rather than 「明日に東京へ行きます」. Weekdays work differently: both 「日曜日にテニスをします」 and forms without 「に」 can occur, so you should not memorize the rule as “weekdays always take に.”

▌「曜日＋に」 vs No 「に」 After the Weekday｜Explicit Time Marking vs Placing the Time Expression Directly Before the Clause

The 「に」 after a weekday is not always required. 「曜日＋に」 clearly marks that day as the time when the action occurs, making the grammatical relationship more explicit. Without 「に」, the weekday can still appear at the beginning as time information, and the action that follows does not change. Especially in conversation, schedules, or contexts where everyone already knows which day is being discussed, omitting 「に」 is not uncommon. The event itself is usually the same in both sentences; the main difference is whether the weekday and the following action are explicitly linked by the particle.

• Example: 土曜日に映画を見ました。
  Kana: どようびに えいがを みました。
  Translation: I watched a movie on Saturday.
  「に」 directly marks Saturday as the time when the movie-watching took place, making the relationship between time and action clear.
• Example: 土曜日、映画を見ました。
  Kana: どようび、えいがを みました。
  Translation: On Saturday, I watched a movie.
  This sentence has no 「に」. Saturday is simply placed at the beginning to provide the time information. The meaning does not shift into another usage; the time particle is simply left unspoken.

▌「曜日＋に」 vs 「曜日＋は」｜Time of the Action vs Topic and Contrast

Both 「に」 and 「は」 can follow a weekday, but they frame the sentence differently. 「曜日＋に」 answers the question “when does the event happen?”, so 「月曜日に東京へ行きます」 mainly tells you which day the trip to Tokyo happens. 「曜日＋は」 makes the weekday the topic, so 「月曜日は東京へ行きます」 is closer to “As for Monday, I’m going to Tokyo.” If the surrounding context also mentions plans for Tuesday or Wednesday, 「は」 can easily create a contrast between the days.

• Example: 月曜日に東京へ行きます。
  Kana: げつようびに とうきょうへ いきます。
  Translation: I’m going to Tokyo on Monday.
  This sentence answers the question of which day the trip to Tokyo takes place. Monday is the time when 「行きます」 occurs.
• Example: 月曜日は東京へ行きます。
  Kana: げつようびは とうきょうへ いきます。
  Translation: On Monday, I’m going to Tokyo.
  This sentence first raises Monday as the topic and then gives the plan for that day. If other days are also being discussed, it can easily imply something like “I’m going to Tokyo on Monday, while I have different plans on the other days.”

▌「水曜日に」 vs 「毎週水曜日に」｜A Particular Wednesday vs Every Wednesday

Saying 「水曜日に」 by itself only tells you that the action happens on Wednesday. It does not directly say whether it repeats every week. If the surrounding context is about next week’s schedule, it will usually mean that Wednesday. If the sentence is about routine habits, the context may instead suggest a recurring schedule. Once 「毎週」 is added, this ambiguity disappears: 「毎週水曜日に」 clearly means every Wednesday.

• Example: 水曜日に日本語を勉強します。
  Kana: すいようびに にほんごを べんきょうします。
  Translation: I study Japanese on Wednesday.
  This sentence specifies Wednesday, but whether it means this week, next week, or a recurring schedule has to be determined from context.
• Example: 毎週水曜日に日本語を勉強します。
  Kana: まいしゅう すいようびに にほんごを べんきょうします。
  Translation: I study Japanese every Wednesday.
  「毎週」 states the frequency directly, so this is clearly a recurring schedule that takes place every Wednesday.

▌「から」 vs 「まで」｜Starting Point vs Ending Point

Both 「から」 and 「まで」 can follow weekdays, but they point in opposite directions. 「から」 shows when something starts, while 「まで」 shows the day through which it continues. So 「月曜日から」 tells you only the starting point, while 「金曜日まで」 tells you only the ending point. If both need to be stated clearly, use them together as 「月曜日から金曜日まで」.

• Example: セールは月曜日からです。
  Kana: セールは げつようびからです。
  Translation: The sale starts on Monday.
  This sentence gives only the starting day of the sale and does not say when it ends.
• Example: セールは金曜日までです。
  Kana: セールは きんようびまでです。
  Translation: The sale runs until Friday.
  This sentence gives only the ending day of the sale and does not say when it begins.
• Example: セールは月曜日から金曜日までです。
  Kana: セールは げつようびから きんようびまでです。
  Translation: The sale runs from Monday to Friday.
  With both 「から」 and 「まで」, the starting and ending days of the sale are fully specified.

▌How 「に／は／毎週／から／まで」 Change the Nuance in the Same “Working in Tokyo” Situation

Even when all the sentences describe “working in Tokyo,” changing what follows the weekday changes the schedule being communicated. 「月曜日に」 specifies the day when the work takes place. 「月曜日は」 brings Monday forward as the topic, which can suggest that other weekdays may have different arrangements. Adding 「毎週」 turns the work into a recurring weekly schedule. 「から」 and 「まで」 no longer describe a single day but instead define the beginning or end of the work period. Only a small part of the Japanese sentence changes on the surface, but each version expresses a different time relationship.

• Example: 月曜日に東京で働きます。
  Kana: げつようびに とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: I work in Tokyo on Monday.
  「に」 specifies that the work takes place on Monday and mainly answers the question “which day do you work in Tokyo?”
• Example: 月曜日は東京で働きます。
  Kana: げつようびは とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: On Monday, I work in Tokyo.
  「は」 makes Monday the topic and may also suggest that the workplace is different on Tuesday or other days.
• Example: 毎週月曜日に東京で働きます。
  Kana: まいしゅう げつようびに とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: I work in Tokyo every Monday.
  「毎週」 turns Monday into a regular weekly schedule rather than referring to only one particular Monday.
• Example: 月曜日から東京で働きます。
  Kana: げつようびから とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: I start working in Tokyo on Monday.
  「から」 shows that Monday is the starting point of this work arrangement and that it will continue afterward.
• Example: 金曜日まで東京で働きます。
  Kana: きんようびまで とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: I’ll work in Tokyo until Friday.
  「まで」 only tells you that the work arrangement continues through Friday; the starting point is not included in this sentence.
• Example: 月曜日から金曜日まで東京で働きます。
  Kana: げつようびから きんようびまで とうきょうで はたらきます。
  Translation: I work in Tokyo from Monday to Friday.
  This sentence defines the entire work period, with Monday as the starting point and Friday as the ending point.

How Do You Read a Japanese Calendar? What Do 「月曜、月〜金、土日祝」 Mean?

Japanese calendars, restaurant notices, and store business hours often omit 「曜日」, so the forms you actually see are not always the full 「月曜日、火曜日」. For example, 「月曜」 is a shortened form of 「月曜日」, 「月〜金」 means Monday through Friday, and 「土日祝」 combines 「土曜日、日曜日、祝日」, meaning Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. These forms often appear together with words such as 「営業」「休み」「定休日」. So 「月曜定休」 means the business is regularly closed every Monday, 「土日祝休み」 means it is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, and 「年中無休」 means there is no regular closing day. When reading Japanese business notices, you do not always need to mentally expand the abbreviation back into the full 「○曜日」 form. If you recognize the weekday range at the front and the operating or closing information that follows, you can tell which days the business is open.

▌Situation ①｜Seeing 「月曜定休」 and Confirming Whether a Restaurant Is Closed on Mondays

A：ここは月曜日がお休みですか？
　　ここは げつようびが おやすみですか？
　　Is this place closed on Mondays?

B：はい、毎週月曜日が定休日です。
　　はい、まいしゅう げつようびが ていきゅうびです。
　　Yes, Monday is our regular closing day every week.

📌 Grammar Point: 「月曜」 is a common abbreviated form of 「月曜日」, so if a store entrance says 「月曜定休」, it is a shortened notice for 「月曜日が定休日です」. 「定休日（ていきゅうび）」 refers to a regularly scheduled day off rather than a temporary closure, so 「月曜定休」 is normally understood to mean that the business is closed every Monday. Notices often omit particles and 「です」 to keep the text short, so they do not usually write out a full sentence such as 「月曜日は定休日です」.

▌Situation ②｜Seeing 「月〜金」 and Confirming Weekday and Weekend Business Days

A：受付は毎日やっていますか？
　　うけつけは まいにち やっていますか？
　　Is the reception desk open every day?

B：いいえ、受付は月〜金です。土日祝はお休みです。
　　いいえ、うけつけは げつようびから きんようびまでです。どにちしゅくは おやすみです。
　　No. Reception is available Monday through Friday. It is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

📌 Grammar Point: 「月〜金」 does not mean only Monday and Friday. It means the entire range from Monday through Friday, including Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and can be understood as 「月曜日から金曜日まで」. In contrast, 「土日祝」 does not show a continuous range. It groups together three types of days: 「土曜日、日曜日、祝日」. Japanese business notices often use forms such as 「平日（月〜金）」 or 「土日祝」 directly, so 「土日祝休み」 means the business is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays.

▌Situation ③｜Seeing 「年中無休」 and Confirming Whether a Store Is Open Every Day

A：定休日はありますか？
　　ていきゅうびは ありますか？
　　Do you have a regular closing day?

B：年中無休ですが、営業時間は10時から20時までです。
　　ねんじゅうむきゅうですが、えいぎょうじかんは じゅうじから にじゅうじまでです。
　　We have no regular closing day, but our business hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

📌 Grammar Point: 「年中無休（ねんじゅうむきゅう）」 means there is no regular day off; it does not mean the business is open 24 hours a day. Even if a store displays 「年中無休」, it will still list its daily 「営業時間（えいぎょうじかん）」 separately, for example 「10:00〜20:00」. In addition, a business may still announce closures for equipment maintenance, temporary shutdowns, or other special circumstances. So when you see 「年中無休」, the main point is that there is normally no fixed closing day, not that the business is guaranteed to be open at every moment of the year.

Usage Notes:

1. 「月曜」 and 「月」 can both mean Monday, but they tend to appear in slightly different places. 「月曜」 is formed by dropping the final 「日」 from 「月曜日」, and forms such as 「月曜定休」 and 「月曜休館」 are common. Calendars, business-hour tables, and very narrow columns may shorten it further to simply 「月」, listed alongside 「火、水、木、金、土、日」. When you see 「月曜」 or a standalone 「月」 in a weekday column, first interpret it as Monday rather than as the 「月」 meaning “month.”
2. 「〜」 and 「・」 show different kinds of ranges. In 「月〜金」, 「〜」 means from Monday through Friday, including Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in between. If it is written as 「火・木」, 「・」 simply lists Tuesday and Thursday and does not include Wednesday. So 「営業日：月〜金」 means the business is open Monday through Friday, while 「営業日：火・木」 means it is open only on Tuesday and Thursday. These two symbols should not be treated as equivalent when reading Japanese calendars.
3. 「土日」 means 「土曜日＋日曜日」 and usually refers to the weekend. 「土日祝」 adds 「祝日」, so it means Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays. What follows changes the meaning directly: 「土日祝休み」 means the business is closed on those days, while 「土日祝営業」 means it is open on those days. If you see only 「土日祝」, do not immediately decide whether the business is open or closed; you also need to check whether it is followed by 「休み」, 「営業」, or another operating notice.
4. 「定休日」 and 「年中無休」 describe different closing patterns. 「定休日」 means the business has a fixed regular closing day. For example, 「定休日：水曜」 means it is regularly closed on Wednesdays. 「年中無休」 means there is normally no fixed regular closing day. However, 「年中無休」 and 「24時間営業」 are not the same thing. The former tells you which days the business operates, while the latter refers to its hours within each day. When traveling in Japan, separating “business days” from “business hours” makes these expressions easier to distinguish.

How Can You Understand Japanese 「曜日」 in Comparison with Korean 「요일」?

When Japanese 「曜日（ようび）」 and Korean 「요일」 are placed side by side, it is easy to see that Monday through Sunday correspond almost one by one. Japanese uses 「月曜日、火曜日、水曜日、木曜日、金曜日、土曜日、日曜日」, while Korean uses 「월요일、화요일、수요일、목요일、금요일、토요일、일요일」. Both languages use the same system of 「月、火、水、木、金、土、日＋曜日」. The Korean 「월요일」 corresponds to the characters 「月曜日」, 「화요일」 to 「火曜日」, and the remaining days follow the same pattern. This makes weekday names easy to compare if you are learning Japanese and Korean at the same time. However, what corresponds is the naming system and the Chinese-character origin. Pronunciation, ways of asking what day it is, and calendar abbreviations are not completely the same, so you cannot simply change the pronunciation of one language and use it in the other.

◆ Corresponding terms: 「曜日」 and 「요일」

Japanese 「曜日」 is read 「ようび」, while Korean 「요일」 is the Korean reading of the Sino-Korean word 「曜日」. Adding the equivalents of 月、火、水、木、金、土、日 before them produces the seven weekday names in both languages. Although the characters correspond one by one, the pronunciations differ significantly. For example, Japanese 「月曜日」 is read 「げつようび」, while Korean 「월요일」 is pronounced roughly like 「워료일」. Japanese 「木曜日」 is 「もくようび」, while Korean 「목요일」 is pronounced approximately 「모교일」. This correspondence is useful for remembering which weekday matches which, but the pronunciation still needs to be memorized separately.

• Example: 月曜日に東京へ行きます。
  Kana: げつようびに とうきょうへ いきます。
  Translation: I’m going to Tokyo on Monday.
  In Korean, you can say 「월요일에 도쿄에 가요」.
• Example: 金曜日に友達と会います。
  Kana: きんようびに ともだちと あいます。
  Translation: I’m meeting a friend on Friday.
  In Korean, you can say 「금요일에 친구를 만나요」.
• Example: 日曜日は仕事がありません。
  Kana: にちようびは しごとが ありません。
  Translation: I don’t have work on Sunday.
  In Korean, you can say 「일요일에는 일이 없어요」.

◆ Monday Through Sunday: 「月曜日〜日曜日」 and 「월요일〜일요일」

When all seven days are placed together, the correspondence between Japanese and Korean is very consistent. Japanese adds 「曜日」 after 「月・火・水・木・金・土・日」, while Korean reads the same characters as 「월・화・수・목・금・토・일」 and then adds 「요일」. So 「水曜日」 corresponds to 「수요일」, and 「土曜日」 corresponds to 「토요일」. This is convenient for learners who already know one of the two languages, but it is mainly useful for remembering which weekday matches which. You should not use Japanese pronunciation to predict Korean pronunciation, or Korean pronunciation to work backward to Japanese.

Chinese	Japanese	Kana	Korean	Romanization
星期一	月曜日	げつようび	월요일	wo-ryo-il
星期二	火曜日	かようび	화요일	hwa-yo-il
星期三	水曜日	すいようび	수요일	su-yo-il
星期四	木曜日	もくようび	목요일	mo-gyo-il
星期五	金曜日	きんようび	금요일	geu-myo-il
星期六	土曜日	どようび	토요일	to-yo-il
星期日	日曜日	にちようび	일요일	i-ryo-il

• Example: 水曜日に日本語を勉強します。
  Kana: すいようびに にほんごを べんきょうします。
  Translation: I study Japanese on Wednesday.
  In Korean, you can say 「수요일에 일본어를 공부해요」.
• Example: 土曜日は家で休みます。
  Kana: どようびは いえで やすみます。
  Translation: I rest at home on Saturday.
  In Korean, you can say 「토요일에는 집에서 쉬어요」.
• Example: 月曜日から金曜日まで働きます。
  Kana: げつようびから きんようびまで はたらきます。
  Translation: I work from Monday to Friday.
  In Korean, you can say 「월요일부터 금요일까지 일해요」.

◆ Asking What Day of the Week: 「何曜日」 and 「무슨 요일」

Japanese uses 「何曜日（なんようび）」 to ask “what day of the week,” while Korean commonly says 「무슨 요일」. Here, the two cannot be matched character by character. Japanese places the question word 「何」 directly before 「曜日」 to form 「何曜日」, while everyday Korean uses 「무슨 요일」, literally closer to “what kind of day of the week.” So “What day is it today?” is 「今日は何曜日ですか」 in Japanese and 「오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?」 in Korean. The fact that Japanese uses 「何曜日」 does not mean Korean should be forced into a structurally identical form.

• Example: 今日は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: きょうは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is it today?
  In Korean, you can say 「오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?」
• Example: 次の休みは何曜日ですか。
  Kana: つぎの やすみは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the next day off?
  In Korean, you can say 「다음 쉬는 날은 무슨 요일이에요?」
• Example: 定休日は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: ていきゅうびは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the regular closing day?
  In Korean, when asking which weekday a store regularly closes, you can say 「정기 휴무일은 무슨 요일이에요?」

◆ Calendar Abbreviations: 「月・火・水」 and 「월・화・수」

Japanese calendars often remove 「曜日」 and keep only 「月、火、水、木、金、土、日」. For example, if business days are listed as 「月・水・金」, that means Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Korean also uses forms such as 「월、화、수、목、금、토、일」 that retain only the first part of the weekday name. For example, 「월, 수, 금」 means Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The abbreviation logic is very similar in both languages. However, Japanese keeps the Chinese characters, while Korean keeps their Korean readings, so 「水」 and 「수」 both refer to Wednesday even though they look completely different.

• Example: 営業日：月・水・金
  Kana: えいぎょうび：げつ・すい・きん
  Translation: Business days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
  In Korean, you may see a form such as 「영업일: 월, 수, 금」.
• Example: 火・木はお休みです。
  Kana: か・もくは おやすみです。
  Translation: We are closed on Tuesday and Thursday.
  In Korean, you can say 「화요일과 목요일은 쉬어요」.

◆ Differences Between Japanese 「曜日」 and Korean 「요일」:

The easiest part of comparing Japanese and Korean weekday names is that all seven days use the same underlying system of 「月、火、水、木、金、土、日＋曜日」. This means 「月曜日／월요일」「火曜日／화요일」 through 「日曜日／일요일」 can be paired directly. For learners who already know one of the two languages, this correspondence makes it possible to memorize the seven days as related forms rather than treating both sets as completely unrelated vocabulary.

What needs to be learned separately is pronunciation and sentence usage. Japanese 「月曜日」 is read 「げつようび」, while Korean 「월요일」 is pronounced approximately 「워료일」. Japanese asks the weekday with 「何曜日」, while Korean commonly uses 「무슨 요일」. In sentences, Japanese has forms such as 「月曜日に」「月曜日から金曜日まで」, while Korean uses 「월요일에」「월요일부터 금요일까지」. Both languages also shorten weekday names in calendars, but Japanese commonly writes 「月・火・水」 while Korean writes 「월・화・수」. This makes the shared Chinese-character system useful for memorizing Japanese and Korean weekdays together, but when speaking or forming sentences, you still need to return to the pronunciation, particles, and common question patterns of each language.

For Japanese weekdays, first memorize 「月・火・水・木・金・土・日」 together with all seven readings. This makes abbreviations such as 「月曜」 and 「土日」 easier to recognize later. When using the words in actual sentences, distinguish between 「何曜日」 for asking what day of the week it is, the common 「○曜日に」 pattern for doing something on a particular weekday, and 「○曜日から○曜日まで」 for a span of days. Japanese business notices such as 「月曜定休」「月〜金」「土日祝」 are all extensions of the same weekday system. When you encounter business hours or reservation dates, first identify the weekday information at the front and then check the time or closure information that follows.

FAQs

SUPPORT FENGNIII

喜歡這篇文章嗎？

如果這篇內容對你有幫助，可以透過小額贊助支持本站持續整理更多日文、韓文、旅行與數位工具內容。

小額支持本站

付款將由藍新金流安全處理