Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years (2024)

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One of the most essential elements of learning a new language is being able to talk about days, weeks, months, and years. What are you doing today? Where are you going next week? What were you doing last month? Today, we’re going to learn how to express time periods in the past, present, and future.

Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years (1)

Contents

  • 1 Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years
  • 2 日 (Nichi)
    • 2.1 今日 (Kyō, Today)
    • 2.2 昨日 (Kinō, Yesterday)
    • 2.3 明日 (Ashita, Tomorrow)
    • 2.4 一昨日 (Ototoi, The Day before Yesterday)
    • 2.5 明後日 (Asatte, The Day after Tomorrow)
  • 3 週 (Shū)
    • 3.1 今週 (Konshū, This Week)
    • 3.2 先週 (Senshū, Last Week)
    • 3.3 来週 (Raishū, Next Week)
    • 3.4 再来週 (Saraishū, The Week after Next)
  • 4 月 (Getsu)
    • 4.1 今月 (Kongetsu, This Month)
    • 4.2 先月 (Sengetsu, Last Month)
    • 4.3 来月 (Raigetsu, Next Month)
    • 4.4 再来月 (Saraigetsu, The Month after Next)
  • 5 年 (Nen)
    • 5.1 今年 (Kotoshi, This Year)
    • 5.2 去年 (Kyonen, Last Year)
    • 5.3 来年 (Rainen, Next Year)
    • 5.4 Date in Japanese : Days
    • 5.5 Date in Japanese : Weekdays
    • 5.6 Date in Japanese : Unit for weeks
    • 5.7 Date in Japanese : Month
    • 5.8 Years
    • 5.9 Seasons
  • 6 Learn Japanese online with BondLingo ?
    • 6.1 Related

Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years

Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years (2)

(Nichi)

Let’s begin by talking about days. The kanji for “day” is 日, which is pronounced “nichi.” However, when nichi is part of a word—as opposed to when it’s all by itself—the pronunciation changes. Nichi is used when talking about days such as today, tomorrow, and yesterday.

今日 (Kyō, Today)

“Today” in Japanese is pronounced “kyō.” This word is comprised of two kanji: 今 (kon), which means “now,” and 日.

今日はいい天気ですね!
Kyō wa ī tenki desu ne!
It’s nice weather today!
今日は何をしますか?
Kyō wa nani wo shimasu ka?
What are you going to do today?

昨日 (Kinō, Yesterday)

“Yesterday” is pronounced “kinō.” The two kanji that comprise this word are 昨 (saku), which means “previous,” and 日.

昨日私は寿司を食べました。
Kinō watashi wa sushi wo tabemashita.
I ate sushi yesterday.
昨日はどこに行きましたか?
Kinō wa doko ni ikimashita ka?
Where did you go yesterday?

明日 (Ashita, Tomorrow)

“Tomorrow” is pronounced “ashita.” The first kanji is 明 “mei” and means “bright; light.”

明日彼女はサーフィンをします。
Ashita kanojo wa sāfin wo shimasu.
She will go surfing tomorrow.
明日あなたは空港に行きますか?
Ashita anata wa kūkō ni ikimasu ka?
Will you go to the airport tomorrow?

一昨日 (Ototoi, The Day before Yesterday)

“The day before yesterday” is pronounced “ototoi.” This word has three kanji: 一 (ichi), which means “one,” followed by the two kanji that mean “yesterday.” The three together convey “one day before yesterday.”

明後日 (Asatte, The Day after Tomorrow)

“The day after tomorrow” is pronounced “asatte.” It basically takes the two kanji for “tomorrow” and sticks the kani 後 (go) in the center, which means “after.” If you want to say “the day after the day after tomorrow,” you add an extra 明 to the beginning, making it look like this: 明明後日 (shiasatte).

週 (Shū)

Now that we know a little bit more about talking about days, it’s time to move on to weeks.

今週 (Konshū, This Week)

“This week” is pronounced “konshū.” The first kanji is 今—just like with 今日—and the second kanji is 週 (shū), meaning “week.”

今週雨が降りそうです。
Konshū ame ga furisou desu.
It looks like it will rain this week.
今週一緒に勉強しませんか?
Konshū issho ni benkyō shimasen ka?
Would you like to study together this week?

先週 (Senshū, Last Week)

“Last week” is pronounced “senshū.” The first kanji is 先 (sen) and means “previous.”

先週彼は野球の試合を見ました。
Senshū kare wa yakyuu no shiai wo mimashita.
He watched a baseball game last week.
先週コンサートはどうでしたか?
Senshū konsāto wa dou deshita ka?
How was the concert last week?

来週 (Raishū, Next Week)

“Next week” is pronounced “raishū.” The first kanji is 来 (rai), and it means “next.” It is also the same kanji used for the verb 来る (kuru), which means “to come.”

来週彼達はデパートで買い物をしたがっています。
Raishū kare-tachi wa depāto de kaimono wo shitagatte imasu.
They want to go shopping at a department store next week.
来週あなたは私のパーティーに来ますか?
Raishū anata wa watashi no pātī ni kimasu ka?
Will you come to my party next week?

再来週 (Saraishū, The Week after Next)

“The week after next” is pronounced “saraishū.” The first kanji is 再 (sai), and it means “again; twice.” Therefore, all three kanji put together means “in two weeks.”

月 (Getsu)

Now that we can talk about days and weeks, let’s progress to months. “Month” in Japanese is 月 (getsu). This is the same kanji that is used to mean “the moon.”

今月 (Kongetsu, This Month)

“This month” is pronounced “kongetsu.”

今月私は旅行に行きたいです。
Kongetsu watashi wa ryokō ni ikitai desu.
I want to go traveling this month.
今月高橋さんはベトナムから帰りますか?
Kongetsu Takahashi-san wa Betonamu kara kaerimasu ka?
Will Mr. Takahashi come home from Vietnam this month?

先月 (Sengetsu, Last Month)

“Last month” is pronounced “sengetsu.”

先月学校が始まりました。
Sengetsu gakkō ga hajimarimashita.
School started last month.
先月バレンタインチョコレートを貰いましたか?
Sengetsu barentain chocorēto wo moraimashita ka?
Did you get Valentine’s Day chocolates last month?

来月 (Raigetsu, Next Month)

“Next month” is pronounced “raigetsu.

来月から春休みが始まる。
Raigetsu kara haru yasumi ga hajimaru.
Spring vacation will start next month.
来月東京で友達と会いますか?
Raigetsu Tōkyō de tomodachi to aimasu ka?
Will you meet your friend in Tokyo next month?

再来月 (Saraigetsu, The Month after Next)

“The month after next” is pronounced “saraigetsu.” As with 再来週 the same kanji 再 is used when talking about the month after next—or “in two months.”

Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years (3)

年 (Nen)

Lastly, we have the Japanese word for “year,” which is 年 (nen). Be careful with this kanji, though. As with 日, combining 年 with other kanji will change the pronunciation (see below).

今年 (Kotoshi, This Year)

Be careful! The pronunciation for “this year” is not konnen!” It is “kotoshi!

今年新しい仕事を探すつもりです!
Kotoshi atarashii shigoto wo sagasu tsumori desu!
I will search for a new job this year!

去年 (Kyonen, Last Year)

The pronunciation for “last year” is “kyonen.” Be careful not to confuse 今日 (kyō) and 去年 (kyonen)!

去年20歳になりました。
Kyonen nijuu-sai ni narimashita.
I turned 20 years old last year.

来年 (Rainen, Next Year)

The pronunciation for “next year” is “rainen.”

来年大学を卒業します。
Rainen daigaku wo sotsugyō shimasu.
I’ll graduate from college next year.

Now that you know how to talk about days, weeks, months, and years in the past, present and future, it’s time to get out there and practice! Remember, the quickest and most efficient way to master a language is to get out there and practice with your language partner every day!

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
今日kyōtoday
昨日kinōyesterday
明日ashitatomorrow
一昨日ototoithe day before yesterday
明後日asattethe day after tomorrow
明明後日shiasattethe day after the day after tomorrow
今週konshūthis week
先週senshūlast week
来週raishūnext week
再来週saraishūthe week after next
今月kongetsuthis month
先月sengetsulast month
来月raigetsunext month
再来月sarai gatsuthe month after next
今年kotoshithis year
去年kyonenlast year
来年rainennext year
再来年sarai nenthe year after next
Date in Japanese : Units for Days, Weeks, Months, and Years (4)

Date in Japanese : Days

NumberJapaneseReading
1一日いちにち
2二日ふつか
3三日みっか
4四日よっか
5五日いつか
6六日むいか
7七日なのか
8八日ようか
9九日ここのか
10十日とうか
11十一日じゅういちにち
12十二日じゅうににち
100百日ひゃくにち
How many何日なんにち

We use 日 for weekdays as well. Here is a list for you to learn them. As you can see 日 is read as び for weekdays.

Date in Japanese : Weekdays

WeekdayJapaneseReading
Monday月曜日げつようび
Tuesday火曜日かようび
Wednesday水曜日すいようび
Thursday木曜日もくようび
Friday金曜日きんようび
Saturday土曜日どうようび
Sunday日曜日にちようび

週(しゅう)is the unit for weeks. Check the table below to learn how to count.

Date in Japanese : Unit for weeks

NumberJapaneseReading
1一週いしゅう
2二週にしゅう
3三週さんしゅう
4四週よんしゅう
5五週ごしゅう
6六週ろくしゅう
7七週ななしゅう
8八週はっしゅう
9九週きゅうしゅう
10十週じゅっしゅう
11十一週じゅういちにち
12十二週じゅうにしゅう
100百週ひゃくしゅう
How many何週なんしゅう

For the unit of month we use “ヶ月(かげつ)” . Make sure to check the table below since we count irregularly for months too.

Date in Japanese : Month

NumberJapaneseReading
1一ヶ月いっかげつ
2二ヶ月にかげつ
3三ヶ月さんかげつ
4四ヶ月よんかげつ
5五ヶ月ごかげつ
6六ヶ月ろっかげつ
7七ヶ月ななかげつ
8八ヶ月はちかげつ
9九ヶ月きゅうかげつ
10十ヶ月じゅっかげつ
11十一ヶ月じゅういっかげつ
12十二ヶ月じゅうにかげつ
How many何ヶ月なんかげつ

When we say the months in Japanese we read 月 as がつ. Check the list below to study them.

NumberJapaneseReading
1一月いちがつ
2二月にがつ
3三月さんがつ
4四月しがつ
5五月ごがつ
6六月ろくがつ
7七月しちがつ
8八月はちがつ
9九月くがつ
10十月じゅうがつ
11十一月じゅういちがつ
12十二月じゅうにがつ
How many何月なんがつ

When counting years we use 年(ねん)as a unit.

Years

NumberJapaneseReading
1一年いちねん
2三年さんねん
3二年にねん
10十年じゅうねん
100百年ひゃくねん
1000千年せんねん
How many何年なんねん

Now that you have learned all the units for days, months, and years you will be able to mention and understand specific dates.

Ex) Scenario 1

Person A: “When is your birthday?”

Person B: “I was born on May 19th, 2018.”

Person A: 「あなたの誕生日はいつですか?」

Person B: 「2018年5月19日です。」

Scenario 2

Person A: “When did you meet her?”

Person B: “I met her 2 years and 3 months ago.”

Person A: 「彼女(かのじょ)とはいつ出会(であ)ったのですか?」

Person B: 「彼女とは2年3ヶ月前に出会いました。」

Note that the year comes first and follows by the month.

Half a year is 半年(はんとし), half a month is 半月(はんつき), half a day is 半日(はんにち).

The day before yesterday is 一昨日(おととい), yesterday is 昨日(きのう), today is 今日(きょう), tomorrow is 明日(あした), the day after tomorrow is 明後日(あさって). Unfortunately, they all have an irregular way to read…

Last week would be 先週(せんしゅう). Next week is 来週(らいしゅう). 再来週(さらい数)would be two weeks later.

Last year in Japanese is 去年(きょねん) or 昨年(さくねん). Next year in Japanese is 来年(らいねん). Two years later in Japanese is 再来年(さらいねん).

Last month would be 先月(せんげつ). Next month is 来月(らいげつ). 再来月(さらいげつ)would be two months later.

By putting 間(かん)after time you can express a period of time. Here’s an example.

Ex)

Person A: “How long did work at this company?”

Person B: “I worked for 5 years.”

Person A: 「この会社(かいしゃ)でどのくらい働(はたら)いたの?」

Person B: 「五年間働いたよ。」

By adding 前(まえ)after a period of time you can mention how long ago it was on some sort of event. Keep in mind that when we use this for weeks we add 間(かん)as well but we do not do this for days, months, and years.

Ex)Scenario 1

Person A: “When did you take the Japanese test?”

Person B: “I took the test 2 weeks ago.”

Person A: 「日本語(にほんご)のテストはいつ受(う)けたの?」

Person B: 「2週間前(にしゅうかんまえ)に受けたよ。」

Scenario 2

Person A: ”When did you graduate from high school?”

Person B: “I graduated three years ago.”

Person A: 「君(きみ)はいつ高校(こうこう)から卒業(そつぎょう)したの?」

Person B: 「僕(ぼく)は3年前に卒業(そつぎょう)したよ。」

By adding 後(ご)after a period of time you can mention how long after it is on some sort of event. Again same with 前(まえ), keep in mind that when we use this for weeks we add 間(かん)as well but we do not do this for days, months, and years.

Ex)

Person A: “When is your summer break ending?”

Person B: “School is starting 17 days later.”

Person A: 「あなたの夏休(なつやす)みはいつ終(お)わるの?」

Person B: 「17日後に学校(がっこう)が始(はじ)まるよ。」

The four seasons; 四季(しき)are all culturally unique and important in Japan. Try remembering all the seasons now. Seasons in Japanese is 季節(きせつ).

Seasons

SeasonsJapaneseReading
Springはる
Summerなつ
Autumnあき
Winterふゆ

Ex)

Person A: “Which season do you like the most?”

Person B: “I like summer the most.”

Person A: 「どの季節が一番(いちばん)好(す)きですか。」

Person B: 「私(わたし)は夏が一番好きです。」

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