Japanese word

曜日

Pronunciation

Romajiyōbi

Meaning

  • nounday of the week

Example

今日は何曜日ですか。kyō wa nan yō bi de su ka

What day of the week is it today?

Illustration for 曜日 (day of the week)

More examples

好きな曜日は何ですか。su ki na yō bi wa nan de su ka

What is your favorite day of the week?

来週の予定を決める前に、曜日を確認します。rai shū no yo tei o ki me ru mae ni yō bi o kaku nin shi ma su

Before making plans for next week, I check the day of the week.

Core concept

Identifies a day as one member of the repeating seven-day cycle used in calendars.

Common phrases

  • 何曜日nan yō bi

    what day of the week

  • 曜日を確認するyō bi o kaku nin su ru

    check the day of the week

Definition in Japanese

日曜・月曜など、週の各日を表す呼び名。nichi yō getsu yō na do shū no kaku bi o arawa su yo bi na

Word origin

The compound 曜日 (yōbi) comes from Chinese usage and combines 曜 (yō, "celestial body") with 日 (bi, "day"); the seven day names relate to the Sun, Moon, and five visible planets.

Usage tips

  • English uses both "weekday" and "day of the week," while Japanese uses 曜日 (yōbi) in expressions such as 何曜日 (nanyōbi) to ask which day it is.

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