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Among Japanese time-related question words, 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」「いつ」 are all related to time, but they do not actually ask for the same information. 「何時」 asks what time, 「何曜日」 asks what day of the week, and 「何月何日」 asks what date. 「いつ」 does not specify the expected answer format in advance; it simply asks when something happens.

For example, the answer to 「今、何時ですか」 will usually be a specific time such as 「7時です」. 「あしたは何曜日ですか」 requires a day of the week as the answer, while 「誕生日は何月何日ですか」 requires a date. Once the question changes to 「旅行はいつですか」, answers such as tomorrow, next week, October, or October 5 are all possible, so the range is clearly broader than with the first three expressions.

Another point that often causes confusion is 「に」. To ask “What time do you get up?” you say 「何時に起きますか」, and to ask “What date are you going to Japan?” you can say 「何月何日に日本へ行きますか」. However, you cannot simply add 「に」 after 「いつ」 and say 「いつに」. In addition, 「何時」 is read as 「なんじ」, 「何曜日」 as 「なんようび」, and 「何月何日」 as 「なんがつなんにち」. Looking at these time-related questions together makes them easier to distinguish than memorizing their Chinese translations separately.

How Do Japanese Time Question Words Differ? For 「何時／何曜日／何月何日／いつ」, Start with How Specific the Question Needs to Be

When asking about time in Japanese, you do not use the same question word in every situation. 「何時」 asks what time, 「何曜日」 asks what day of the week, and 「何月何日」 asks what date. If you simply want to know “when” and do not need the other person to answer in a particular unit of time, you can use 「いつ」. For example, if you already know a dinner gathering is on Friday and only need to know the meeting time, you would ask 「何時ですか」. If you only know that the gathering is sometime next week and want to confirm which day of the week it is on, you would ask 「何曜日ですか」. If you need to verify an actual date such as whether a reservation is on September 20, you would use 「何月何日ですか」.

Question Word	Kana	What It Mainly Asks	Common Answers
何時	なんじ	What time, which time of day	7時、10時半
何曜日	なんようび	What day of the week	月曜日、土曜日
何月何日	なんがつなんにち	What month and day	5月21日、9月8日
いつ	いつ	When	明日、来週、10月、5月21日

The difference between 「いつ」 and the other three expressions can be understood by looking at the answers they produce. If someone asks 「何時ですか」, the answer will usually be something like 「7時です」. If they ask 「何曜日ですか」, the answer might be 「金曜日です」. If they ask 「何月何日ですか」, they may get a date such as 「9月20日です」. With 「いつですか」, however, the other person can answer 「明日」「来週」「来月」「9月20日」 or in various other forms, as long as the answer indicates when the event takes place.

So even when you are asking about the time of the same event, use 「何時」 if the missing information is the starting time, 「何曜日」 if you need the day of the week, and 「何月何日」 if you need to confirm the actual date. If all you currently know is that “this event exists” and you do not even know approximately what day it will happen, asking 「いつ」 directly is more natural.

How Do You Use Japanese 「何時」? When Asking What Time, Read It as 「なんじ」

「何時」 is read as 「なんじ」 and is specifically used to ask about a time of day. If you simply want to ask what time it is now, you can say 「何時ですか」. When asking what time a particular action takes place, a common pattern is 「何時に＋verb」. Therefore, learning how to use Japanese 「何時」 involves more than memorizing it as “what time”; you also need to see whether the sentence is asking for a piece of time information itself or asking when an action occurs.

• Example:  今、何時ですか。
  Kana: いま、なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is it now?
  The sentence ends in 「です」 and simply confirms the current time, so 「に」 is not needed.
• Example:  何時に起きますか。
  Kana: なんじにおきますか。
  Translation: What time do you get up?
  「に」 marks the time at which 「起きます」 takes place, so 「何時に」 is used.
• Example:  何時に寝ますか。
  Kana: なんじにねますか。
  Translation: What time do you go to bed?
  As in the previous sentence, 「何時に」 asks when the action takes place. An answer could be 「10時半に寝ます」.

How Do You Ask 「何曜日」 in Japanese? When Asking What Day of the Week, Read It as 「なんようび」

「何曜日」 is read as 「なんようび」 and is used to ask what day of the week it is. The most common way to ask with Japanese 「何曜日」 is in noun sentences such as 「今日は何曜日ですか」 and 「あしたは何曜日ですか」. If you want to ask on which day of the week a particular activity is scheduled, you can use 「何曜日に＋verb」.

• Example:  あしたは何曜日ですか。
  Kana: あしたはなんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is tomorrow?
  Here, the question is asking which day of the week corresponds to “tomorrow,” so 「何曜日ですか」 is used directly.
• 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 today?
  「何曜日」 itself occupies the position of the information being asked for, so the answer will be a day name such as 「月曜日です」.
• Example:  何曜日にテニスをしますか。
  Kana: なんようびにテニスをしますか。
  Translation: What day of the week do you play tennis?
  The sentence asks which day the activity “play tennis” is scheduled for, so 「に」 can follow 「何曜日」. In some sentences, 「に」 after a day of the week can also be omitted, and forms without 「に」 are common in spoken Japanese.

How Do You Ask 「何月何日」 in Japanese? Read the Date as 「なんがつなんにち」

「何月何日」 is read as 「なんがつなんにち」 and is used to ask for a complete month-and-day date. When asking 「何月何日」 in Japanese, the most common sentence pattern is 「～は何月何日ですか」. In the question, 「何日」 is consistently read as 「なんにち」, but actual dates may use special readings such as 「1日＝ついたち」「2日＝ふつか」「8日＝ようか」「20日＝はつか」. The question form itself is therefore quite regular; what requires separate memorization is mainly the way the answers are read.

• Example:  きょうは何月何日ですか。
  Kana: きょうはなんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What is today’s date?
  This is the most basic way to ask for a date. The answer simply supplies the actual month and day, such as 「5月21日です」.
• Example:  誕生日は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: たんじょうびはなんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What month and day is your birthday?
  When you need the full birthday date, 「何月何日」 is more specific than 「いつ」 because the expected answer format has already been limited to the month and day.
• Example:  何月何日に日本へ行きますか。
  Kana: なんがつなんにちににほんへいきますか。
  Translation: What date are you going to Japan?
  In the kana, you will see 「なんにちに」. The earlier 「に」 is part of the pronunciation of 「なんにち」, while the final 「に」 is the particle marking the time of the action.

Do You Add 「に」 After 「何時／何曜日／何月何日／いつ」? A Guide to Japanese Time Particles

Whether 「に」 appears after 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」 is not determined by the question word itself, but by the role that the time expression plays in the sentence. If you are simply asking directly for a time, day of the week, or date, you can say 「何時ですか」「何曜日ですか」「何月何日ですか」. In these cases, there is no action time that needs to be marked with 「に」. If you are asking “What time do you get up?”, “What day of the week do you play tennis?”, or “What date are you going to Japan?”, the time expression is connected to the following action, which is why forms such as 「何時に起きますか」「何曜日にテニスをしますか」「何月何日に日本へ行きますか」 appear.

「いつ」 works differently. Although it can also ask when something happens, 「いつ」 itself cannot take the time-point particle 「に」, so you say 「いつ日本へ行きますか」 rather than 「いつに日本へ行きますか」. In addition, 「に」 after a day of the week is more easily omitted than after a specific time or date. For example, 「土曜日、何をしましたか」 is also possible. Therefore, when you see 「何曜日」 without 「に」, you do not need to immediately conclude that the sentence is wrong.

Form	What It Asks	Use of 「に」	Example	Example Answer
何時ですか	Directly asks what time	No 「に」	今、何時ですか。	3時です。
何時に＋verb	Asks what time an action occurs	Marks the time of the action	何時に起きますか。	7時に起きます。
何曜日ですか	Directly asks what day of the week	No 「に」	今日は何曜日ですか。	金曜日です。
何曜日に＋verb	Asks what day an action occurs	「に」 can be used; it may also be omitted after a weekday	何曜日にテニスをしますか。	土曜日にします。
何月何日ですか	Directly asks what date	No 「に」	誕生日は何月何日ですか。	7月15日です。
何月何日に＋verb	Asks on what date an action occurs	「に」 marks the date	何月何日に日本へ行きますか。	10月8日に行きます。
いつですか	Directly asks when	No 「に」	旅行はいつですか。	来週です。
いつ＋verb	Asks when an action occurs	The time particle 「に」 does not follow 「いつ」	いつ日本へ行きますか。	来月行きます。

▌Difference Between 「何時ですか」 and 「何時に～ますか」｜Asking the Time vs Asking When an Action Happens

「何時ですか」 simply confirms a time itself. It is usually followed by 「です」, and the answer directly gives the time. 「何時に～ますか」, on the other hand, includes an action and asks what time that action takes place. Putting 「に」 after 「何時」 connects the time being asked about with the following verb. So although “What time is it now?” and “What time do you get up?” both use 「何時」, their sentence structures are different.

• Example: 今、何時ですか。
  Kana: いま、なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is it now?
  This sentence directly asks for the current time. There is no separate action whose time needs to be marked, so it uses 「何時ですか」.
• Example: 何時に起きますか。
  Kana: なんじに おきますか。
  Translation: What time do you get up?
  This sentence asks what time 「起きます」 occurs. 「に」 makes 「何時」 the time of the action of getting up.

▌Difference Between 「何曜日ですか」 and 「何曜日に～ますか」｜Asking the Day of the Week vs Asking What Day an Action Happens

「何曜日ですか」 requires a weekday name as the answer, such as Monday or Friday, so there is no need to add 「に」. 「何曜日に～ますか」 asks what day a particular schedule or action takes place. A weekday can also take 「に」 to indicate the time of an action, but compared with specific clock times, 「に」 after a weekday is more likely to be omitted in actual usage. Therefore, both 「土曜日に映画を見ました」 and 「土曜日、映画を見ました」 may be used.

• 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 today?
  This sentence only needs to identify today’s weekday, so 「金曜日です」 is a complete answer.
• Example: 何曜日にテニスをしますか。
  Kana: なんようびに てにすを しますか。
  Translation: What day of the week do you play tennis?
  This sentence asks what day tennis is scheduled for, so 「何曜日」 functions as the time of 「テニスをします」.

▌Difference Between 「何月何日ですか」 and 「何月何日に～ますか」｜Asking the Date vs Asking the Date an Action Happens

「何月何日ですか」 directly asks for a date and is commonly used for birthdays, event dates, reservation dates, and similar information. If it is followed by an action or event such as 「行きます」「始まります」「予約しました」, you can use 「何月何日に～」 to ask on which date the event happens. In the first case, the answer itself is the date; in the second, the date becomes part of the full action.

• Example: 誕生日は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: たんじょうびは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What month and day is your birthday?
  This sentence directly asks for the birthday date, so 「7月15日です」 is sufficient.
• Example: 何月何日に日本へ行きますか。
  Kana: なんがつなんにちに にほんへ いきますか。
  Translation: What date are you going to Japan?
  This sentence asks on which date “going to Japan” takes place, so 「に」 follows the date.

▌Difference Between 「いつ」 and 「何時に／何曜日に／何月何日に」｜No 「に」 vs Using 「に」 to Mark a Specific Time

Although 「いつ」 is also a time question word, it cannot follow the same pattern as 「何時に」「何曜日に」「何月何日に」 and become 「いつに」. To ask “When are you going to Japan?”, simply say 「いつ日本へ行きますか」. 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」 specify units such as clock time, weekday, or date, and when they appear before an action they can be combined with the time particle 「に」. 「いつ」 does not specify a time unit in advance, so its usage does not simply follow the same pattern.

• Example: いつ日本へ行きますか。
  Kana: いつ にほんへ いきますか。
  Translation: When are you going to Japan?
  This sentence does not limit the time range in advance, so answers such as 「明日」「来週」「10月8日」 are all possible.
• Unnatural expression: いつに日本へ行きますか。

What Is the Difference Between Japanese 「何時／何曜日／何月何日」 and 「いつ」? 「いつ」 Does Not Specify the Answer Unit in Advance

The biggest characteristic of 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」 is that the question specifies the unit of time expected in the answer from the beginning. When 「何時」 appears, the answer will usually be a clock time. When 「何曜日」 appears, the answer should be a day of the week. 「何月何日」 limits the answer to a month and day. In contrast, 「いつ」 simply asks “when” without first requiring the answer to be given as a time, weekday, or date.

Therefore, 「いつ」 is not simply a vaguer version of 「何時」, nor is it a substitute to use when you do not know which of the three words to choose. The actual difference lies in how much time information the question is trying to obtain. If you already know an event is today and only need the starting time, 「何時ですか」 is more natural. If you know an event takes place during a certain week but do not know the weekday, you can ask 「何曜日ですか」. If you need to confirm the actual date, ask 「何月何日ですか」. If you do not even know approximately what day it is, 「いつですか」 leaves the widest range of possible answers.

Question Word	Chinese Meaning	Time Unit Specified in the Question	Common Answers	Example Question
何時（なんじ）	What time	Clock time	7時、午後3時、10時半	会議は何時ですか。
何曜日（なんようび）	What day of the week	Weekday	月曜日、金曜日	会議は何曜日ですか。
何月何日（なんがつなんにち）	What month and day	Month＋day	9月18日、10月8日	会議は何月何日ですか。
いつ	When	Not specified in advance	明日、来週、金曜日、9月18日、午後3時, etc.	会議はいつですか。

▌Difference Between 「何時」 and 「何曜日」｜What Time vs What Day of the Week

「何時」 and 「何曜日」 ask about different levels of time. 「何時」 limits the answer to a specific point within a day, such as 9 a.m. or 3 p.m. 「何曜日」 identifies a day within the week, such as Tuesday or Friday. The same event can have both a “day of the week” and a “time,” so the distinction is not that one expression is more formal or more conversational than the other. You choose the one corresponding to the piece of information that is missing.

• Example: 待ち合わせは何時ですか。
  Kana: まちあわせは なんじですか。
  Translation: What time are we meeting?
  This sentence places the question at the level of a time within the day, so the answer could be 「3時です」.
• Example: 待ち合わせは何曜日ですか。
  Kana: まちあわせは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week are we meeting?
  This sentence asks which day within the week, so the answer could be 「金曜日です」.

▌Difference Between 「何時」 and 「何月何日」｜Time vs Date

「何時」 asks for a time within a day, while 「何月何日」 asks for a specific date within the year. Information such as flights, events, and reservations often includes both a date and a time. If you know that departure is on October 8 but do not know the time, ask with 「何時」. If you only know that departure is at 9 a.m. but have not yet confirmed the date, ask with 「何月何日」. Both are specific, but they are specific in different ways.

• Example: 出発は何時ですか。
  Kana: しゅっぱつは なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is the departure?
  This sentence asks for the departure time, such as 「午前9時です」.
• Example: 出発は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: しゅっぱつは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What date is the departure?
  This sentence asks for the departure date, such as 「10月8日です」.

▌Difference Between 「何時」 and 「いつ」｜Limited to a Clock Time vs No Fixed Time Unit

「何時」 already assumes that the answer will be a clock time, so it is suitable when the date or general timing is already known and only the exact time is missing. 「いつ」 has no such restriction. The answer can be tomorrow, next week, Friday, October 8, or, when enough context is shared, even a clock time. In Chinese, both questions may sometimes be translated as “什麼時候,” but in Japanese the breadth of the question is different.

• Example: 会議は何時ですか。
  Kana: かいぎは なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is the meeting?
  This sentence has already narrowed the answer to a clock time, so 「3時です」 is appropriate.
• Example: 会議はいつですか。
  Kana: かいぎは いつですか。
  Translation: When is the meeting?
  This sentence does not specify the answer format in advance. If you do not even know the date yet, the answer could be 「来週の金曜日です」. If the date is already understood from context, the answer might simply give the time.

▌Difference Between 「何曜日」 and 「何月何日」｜Weekday Unit vs Specific Date

「何曜日」 only requires a weekday name as the answer, so it does not directly tell you which calendar date it is. 「何月何日」 requires the actual month and day. Recurring schedules such as regular classes or weekly closing days often use 「何曜日」, while one-time reservations, events, and travel dates more often require 「何月何日」. Even though the same day can be described both as “Friday” and “September 18,” the two questions still ask for different information.

• Example: 予約は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: よやくは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the reservation?
  This sentence confirms the weekday, so the answer could be 「金曜日です」.
• Example: 予約は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: よやくは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What date is the reservation?
  This sentence requires the actual date, so the answer could be 「9月18日です」.

▌Difference Between 「何曜日」 and 「いつ」｜Limited to a Weekday vs No Fixed Time Unit

When 「何曜日」 appears in a question, the answer will normally be one of the seven days from Monday through Sunday. 「いつ」 does not limit the answer to a weekday, so it is suitable when even the general date range is still uncertain. If you already know that the next class is sometime this week and only want to know which day, 「何曜日」 is more precise. If you do not know whether it is next week, next month, or on some particular date, 「いつ」 better matches what you actually want to ask.

• Example: 授業は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: じゅぎょうは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the class?
  This sentence requires a weekday name, so the answer could be 「火曜日です」.
• Example: 次の授業はいつですか。
  Kana: つぎの じゅぎょうは いつですか。
  Translation: When is the next class?
  This sentence does not limit the answer in advance, so answers such as 「来週の火曜日です」「10月8日です」 are possible.

▌Difference Between 「何月何日」 and 「いつ」｜Limited to Month and Day vs No Fixed Time Unit

「何月何日」 directly asks “what month and day,” so the answer needs to provide both the month and the day. 「いつ」 simply asks when, so the answer can be very specific or can give only an approximate time. The two questions can sometimes produce exactly the same answer. For example, when asking about a birthday, whether you say 「誕生日は何月何日ですか」 or 「誕生日はいつですか」, the other person may answer 「7月15日です」. The difference does not necessarily appear in the answer; it lies in whether the question itself requires a “month＋day” format from the start.

• Example: 誕生日は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: たんじょうびは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What month and day is your birthday?
  This sentence directly requests a date, so 「7月15日です」 corresponds exactly to the question.
• Example: 誕生日はいつですか。
  Kana: たんじょうびは いつですか。
  Translation: When is your birthday?
  This question is broader, but because birthdays are usually answered with dates, the actual answer may still be 「7月15日です」.

▌How 「何時／何曜日／何月何日／いつ」 Differ in Nuance in the Same Meeting Context

Even when confirming the same upcoming meeting, the four question words ask for four different kinds of information. 「何時」 suggests that the date is roughly known and what is missing is the clock time. 「何曜日」 focuses on the weekday. 「何月何日」 requires the actual month and day. 「いつ」 does not decide in advance which type of time information the other person should use in the answer. If you know nothing about the meeting’s date, weekday, or time, asking 「いつですか」 is perfectly natural. If the calendar already shows that the meeting is on Friday and only the starting time is missing, asking 「いつ」 may feel too broad. In that case, 「何時ですか」 better matches the information you want.

• Example: 会議は何時ですか。
  Kana: かいぎは なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is the meeting?
  The question asks for a clock time, so 「3時です」 is a complete answer.
• Example: 会議は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: かいぎは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the meeting?
  The question asks for a weekday, so 「金曜日です」 is a complete answer.
• Example: 会議は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: かいぎは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What date is the meeting?
  The question asks for the actual date, so 「9月18日です」 is a complete answer.
• Example: 会議はいつですか。
  Kana: かいぎは いつですか。
  Translation: When is the meeting?
  This sentence does not specify an answer unit in advance, so answers such as 「金曜日です」「9月18日です」「金曜日の3時です」 are all possible. How much detail is actually given depends on how much information is already known from the surrounding context.

Practical Japanese for Travel in Japan: How to Ask About Opening Times, Closing Days, and Reservation Dates with 「何時／何曜日／何月何日」

When traveling in Japan, you are most likely to encounter 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」 not when asking about the meaning of the words themselves, but when confirming information about hotels, restaurants, attractions, or reservations. 「何時」 is useful for asking what time breakfast begins, what time a store closes, or what time a bus departs. 「何曜日」 is often used to confirm a regular closing day, weekly day off, or the day on which a particular service is available. 「何月何日」 is used for reservations involving an actual date, such as accommodations, restaurants, or events. All three expressions ask about time, but the answers needed while traveling are different. You cannot replace 「何時」 with 「何曜日」 when you want to know the time of day, and simply knowing the weekday is usually not enough when you need to confirm the actual reservation date. In real conversations, first determine whether the missing information is the time, the weekday, or the date, and then choose the corresponding question word.

▌Situation ①｜Confirming What Time Breakfast Starts at a Hotel

A：朝食は何時からですか。
　　ちょうしょくは なんじからですか。
　　What time does breakfast start?

B：7時からです。
　　しちじからです。
　　It starts at seven.

📌 Grammar Point: 「何時からですか」 asks what time a service or activity begins. 「から」 indicates the starting point, so this expression can be used for hotel breakfast, the opening time of a hot spring, shuttle-bus service hours, and similar situations. Here, 「何時」 is read as 「なんじ」. When answering, replace it with a specific time, such as 「7時からです」 or 「6時半からです」. If you want to ask “until what time,” replace 「から」 with 「まで」 and say 「朝食は何時までですか」.

▌Situation ②｜Confirming What Day an Attraction Is Closed

A：休館日は何曜日ですか。
　　きゅうかんびは なんようびですか。
　　What day of the week is the facility closed?

B：月曜日です。
　　げつようびです。
　　Monday.

📌 Grammar Point: 「何曜日ですか」 requires a weekday name as the answer, so the response will be something like 「月曜日」 or 「火曜日」. At museums, art museums, and other facilities with a regular closing day, 「休館日は何曜日ですか」 is clearer than simply asking 「休みは何曜日ですか」 because 「休館日」 directly refers to the date on which the facility is closed. For shops or restaurants, you can change it to 「定休日は何曜日ですか」 depending on the situation and ask about the regular day off.

▌Situation ③｜Confirming the Reservation Date for a Hotel or Restaurant

A：予約は何月何日ですか。
　　よやくは なんがつなんにちですか。
　　What date is the reservation?

B：10月8日です。
　　じゅうがつ ようかです。
　　October 8.

📌 Grammar Point: 「何月何日ですか」 directly asks for the full month and day, making it suitable for confirming the date of hotel, restaurant, event, or transportation reservations. 「何月何日」 is read as 「なんがつなんにち」, but once it is replaced by an actual date, 「日」 is not always read simply according to the number. For example, 「8日」 is read as 「ようか」, so 「10月8日」 is 「じゅうがつ ようか」. If you want to ask for the date on which an action occurs, as in “What date are you going to Japan?”, you can say 「何月何日に日本へ行きますか」, adding 「に」 after the date.

Usage Notes:

1. When asking about business hours while traveling, 「何時ですか」 and 「何時からですか」 do not ask exactly the same thing. 「何時ですか」 simply asks for the time of something. For example, 「チェックインは何時ですか」 asks for the check-in time. 「何時からですか」 specifically asks “from what time does it start?”, as in 「朝食は何時からですか」. If you need to know the ending time, you can use 「何時までですか」. Situations involving restaurants, hotel facilities, hot springs, shuttle buses, and similar services often use 「から／まで」.
2. When asking what day a place is closed, you can switch between 「休館日」 and 「定休日」 depending on the location. 「休館日」 is commonly used for facilities such as art museums, museums, and libraries, while 「定休日」 is common for restaurants and shops with a regular day off. Both can be followed by 「何曜日ですか」, as in 「休館日は何曜日ですか」 and 「定休日は何曜日ですか」. If you only say 「何曜日ですか」 without enough context, the other person may not know whether you are asking about an opening day or a closing day, so it is more natural to mention what you want to confirm.
3. 「何曜日」 and 「何月何日」 are not completely interchangeable in reservation contexts. 「予約は何曜日ですか」 only produces an answer such as “Friday,” but if there are Fridays in different weeks, you still do not know the actual reservation date. 「予約は何月何日ですか」 gives a fixed date such as “October 8.” When confirming a hotel, restaurant, or event reservation, directly checking 「何月何日」 will usually give more complete information. If you already know the date and only want to confirm what weekday it falls on, then use 「何曜日」.

How Do Japanese 「何時／何曜日／何月何日／いつ」 Correspond to Korean 「몇 시／무슨 요일／몇 월 며칠／언제」?

Japanese 「何時」「何曜日」「何月何日」「いつ」 roughly correspond to Korean 「몇 시」「무슨 요일」「몇 월 며칠」「언제」, and the type of time information requested by the four pairs is very similar. 「何時／몇 시」 both ask what time, 「何曜日／무슨 요일」 ask what day of the week, 「何月何日／몇 월 며칠」 require the actual month and day, and 「いつ／언제」 do not specify in advance which time unit must be used in the answer. However, the two languages do not form these question words in the same way. In particular, you cannot assume that because Japanese 「何時、何曜日、何月何日」 all contain 「何」, Korean should use 「몇」 in every case. Korean says 「몇 시」 for the time, 「무슨 요일」 for the weekday, and 「몇 월 며칠」 for the date. It is more natural to focus directly on whether the sentence is asking for a time, weekday, date, or simply “when” than to replace the Japanese words with Korean one element at a time.

◆ Korean Comparison: 「몇 시」

Korean 「몇 시」 and Japanese 「何時（なんじ）」 have very similar ranges of use. Both ask for a specific time within the day, so the answer will usually be something like seven o’clock, 3 p.m., or 10:30. In Japanese, you can ask the current time with 「何時ですか」, while questions about the time of an action often use 「何時に＋verb」. Korean uses 「몇 시예요?」 or 「몇 시에＋verb」. Both 「何時」 and 「몇 시」 already limit the answer to a clock time, so if you actually want to ask which day or what date, you cannot substitute this pair of expressions.

• Example: 今、何時ですか。
  Kana: いま、なんじですか。
  Translation: What time is it now?
  Korean: 지금 몇 시예요?
• Example: 何時に起きますか。
  Kana: なんじに おきますか。
  Translation: What time do you get up?
  Korean: 몇 시에 일어나요?
• Example: 飛行機は何時に出発しますか。
  Kana: ひこうきは なんじに しゅっぱつしますか。
  Translation: What time does the plane depart?
  Korean: 비행기는 몇 시에 출발해요?

◆ Korean Comparison: 「무슨 요일」

Japanese 「何曜日（なんようび）」 corresponds to Korean 「무슨 요일」. You cannot simply replace 「何」 with 「몇」 and say 「몇 요일」. Korean 「몇」 is mainly used to ask about quantities or numerical information, such as 「몇 시」 for the time or 「몇 월」 for the month. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, however, are names within the category of weekdays, so Korean uses 「무슨 요일」 to ask “which day of the week.” Japanese directly combines 「何」 and 「曜日」 to form 「何曜日」. Although the sentence structures differ, both ultimately ask for one of the seven days of the week.

• 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 today?
  Korean: 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?
• Example: 何曜日にテニスをしますか。
  Kana: なんようびに てにすを しますか。
  Translation: What day of the week do you play tennis?
  Korean: 무슨 요일에 테니스를 쳐요?
• Example: 休館日は何曜日ですか。
  Kana: きゅうかんびは なんようびですか。
  Translation: What day of the week is the facility closed?
  Korean: 휴관일은 무슨 요일이에요?

◆ Korean Comparison: 「몇 월 며칠」

Japanese 「何月何日（なんがつなんにち）」 and Korean 「몇 월 며칠」 both ask “what month and day,” but the two expressions cannot be mechanically broken apart and replaced word for word. Japanese uses 「何月＋何日」, so 「何」 appears once with the month and once with the day. Korean uses 「몇 월＋며칠」: 「몇 월」 asks what month, while the date portion uses 「며칠」. Standard Korean is written 「몇 월 며칠」 and should not be mechanically modeled on Japanese 「何月何日」 as 「몇 월 몇 일」. In addition to asking for a date, 「며칠」 can also mean “how many days.” Its actual meaning depends on whether the sentence is talking about a calendar date or about a duration of several days.

• Example: 今日は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: きょうは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What is today’s date?
  Korean: 오늘은 몇 월 며칠이에요?
• Example: 誕生日は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: たんじょうびは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What month and day is your birthday?
  Korean: 생일은 몇 월 며칠이에요?
• Example: 予約は何月何日ですか。
  Kana: よやくは なんがつなんにちですか。
  Translation: What date is the reservation?
  Korean: 예약은 몇 월 며칠이에요?

◆ Korean Comparison: 「언제」

Japanese 「いつ」 and Korean 「언제」 both ask about time without specifying the unit in advance. When you say 「いつ日本へ行きますか」, the other person can answer tomorrow, next week, October, or October 8. Korean 「언제 일본에 가요?」 works the same way and does not require the answer to be a weekday, date, or clock time. Therefore, the biggest difference between 「いつ／언제」 and the earlier 「何時／몇 시」「何曜日／무슨 요일」「何月何日／몇 월 며칠」 is not formality, but whether the question specifies in advance what type of time information it wants.

• Example: いつ日本へ行きますか。
  Kana: いつ にほんへ いきますか。
  Translation: When are you going to Japan?
  Korean: 언제 일본에 가요?
• Example: 旅行はいつですか。
  Kana: りょこうは いつですか。
  Translation: When is the trip?
  Korean: 여행은 언제예요?
• Example: いつから始まりますか。
  Kana: いつから はじまりますか。
  Translation: When does it start?
  Korean: 언제부터 시작해요?

◆ Differences Among 「몇 시／무슨 요일／몇 월 며칠／언제」:

Japanese and Korean distinguish the type of time information being requested in very similar ways, so 「何時＝몇 시」「何曜日＝무슨 요일」「何月何日＝몇 월 며칠」「いつ＝언제」 can first be understood as four functional pairs. However, this correspondence is functional and does not mean the words are formed in exactly the same way. Japanese 「何」 can combine with 「時、曜日、月、日」 to form different time-related question words. Korean changes the question form according to the time unit that follows: 「시」 takes 「몇」, 「요일」 takes 「무슨」, and dates use 「몇 월 며칠」. Therefore, 「何曜日」 cannot be translated literally as 「몇 요일」, and 「何月何日」 cannot be mechanically changed to 「몇 월 몇 일」.

「いつ／언제」 form another pair that is relatively similar. Neither language requires the other person to answer in a predetermined time format. If you already know the date of an event and only need the starting time, 「何時／몇 시」 is more precise. If you only need to confirm the weekday, use 「何曜日／무슨 요일」. If you need the actual month and day, use 「何月何日／몇 월 며칠」. If you do not even know the approximate time yet, use 「いつ／언제」. Japanese and Korean are actually quite similar in how this distinction is made; the main differences lie in how the question words themselves are formed and in the particles and sentence patterns that follow them.

Japanese time question words can first be distinguished by asking, “What kind of answer do I want?” 「何時」 asks what time, 「何曜日」 asks what day of the week, and 「何月何日」 asks what month and day. If no time unit is specified and you simply want to know when something happens, use 「いつ」.

Once the expression is placed in a sentence, look at the relationship between the time expression and the action. In 「何時に起きますか」 and 「何月何日に日本へ行きますか」, 「に」 marks when the action takes place. 「に」 after a weekday can sometimes be omitted, while 「いつ」 does not take this time particle. When you encounter a new sentence, first determine whether the speaker wants to know the time, the weekday, the date, or simply “when.” That will usually lead you to the appropriate expression.

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