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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.
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
日 (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.”
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!
Japanese | Romaji | English |
今日 | kyō | today |
昨日 | kinō | yesterday |
明日 | ashita | tomorrow |
一昨日 | ototoi | the day before yesterday |
明後日 | asatte | the day after tomorrow |
明明後日 | shiasatte | the day after the day after tomorrow |
今週 | konshū | this week |
先週 | senshū | last week |
来週 | raishū | next week |
再来週 | saraishū | the week after next |
今月 | kongetsu | this month |
先月 | sengetsu | last month |
来月 | raigetsu | next month |
再来月 | sarai gatsu | the month after next |
今年 | kotoshi | this year |
去年 | kyonen | last year |
来年 | rainen | next year |
再来年 | sarai nen | the year after next |
Date in Japanese : Days
Number | Japanese | Reading |
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
Weekday | Japanese | Reading |
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
Number | Japanese | Reading |
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
Number | Japanese | Reading |
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.
Number | Japanese | Reading |
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
Number | Japanese | Reading |
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
Seasons | Japanese | Reading |
Spring | 春 | はる |
Summer | 夏 | なつ |
Autumn | 秋 | あき |
Winter | 冬 | 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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