Japanese Calendar – How To Write Dates In Japanese

みなさんこんにちは

Have you ever looked at a Japanese calendar and thought, “This looks familiar… but why does writing the date feel so different?”

Well, you’re onto something!

While Japanese calendars might look like the ones we use every day, the way dates are written and spoken is where things take a unique twist.

But don’t worry—I’ve got your back!

If you’re here, you’re probably curious about how to write dates in Japanese, right? Maybe you’re planning a trip, learning the language, or just love diving into new cultures. Whatever the reason, you’re in the right place! 

Here, we’re going to learn everything about the Japanese Calendar System, Writing and saying Japanese Dates step by step.

Ready to learn something new and fun? 

Let’s jump in!

Understanding the Japanese Calendar

Alright, let’s start with the basics. 

You’ve probably noticed that the Japanese calendar looks a lot like the one you’re used to—days, months, and years all laid out just like your usual calendar. But here’s where things get interesting!

In Japan, they actually use two calendar systems: the Gregorian calendar (the one most of us use) and their traditional era-based calendar. 

The era-based calendar counts years according to the reign of the current emperor. Right now, we’re in the Reiwa era, which started in 2019 when Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne.

But don’t worry too much about the era system right now. Most of the time, you’ll see dates written using the Gregorian calendar, just like in English. We’ll be focusing on that format in this guide to keep things simple and practical.

So, what makes the Japanese date format different? It all comes down to the order of how they write the year, month, and day. 

Ready to learn how it works?

Let’s break it down!

How to Write Dates in Japanese

Now, let’s get into the fun part—actually writing dates in Japanese! 

In Japanese, dates are written in this order: Year → Month → Day.

Here’s a simple example:

2024年 8月 28日

(This is how you would write “August 28, 2024” in Japanese.)

Let’s break that down:

• Year (年): This comes first in Japanese. The character 年 (ねん, nen) means “year.”
• Month (月): Next, you have the month. The character 月 (がつ, gatsu) means “month.”
• Day (日): Finally, you write the day. The character 日 (にち, nichi) means “day.”

So, instead of saying “August 28, 2024” like we would in English, you flip it around and say 2024年 8月 28日 (にせんにじゅうよねん はちがつ にじゅうはちにち) in Japanese.

Japanese Years

Saying years in Japanese is quite similar to saying other numbers. When writing, you add 年 (nen) after the number, like 2024年. But when saying it out loud, it sounds like にせんにじゅうよねん (nisen nijūyon nen).

The system is straightforward, and once you know the basic number words, you can apply them to years. You can easily learn how to express any year in Japanese by checking out my Comprehensive Guide to Japanese Numeral Systems.

Japanese Months

When writing months in Japanese, you use the number followed by 月 (gatsu), like 8月(August). But when saying the month out loud, it sounds like はちがつ (hachi gatsu).

Here’s a simple table showing the Japanese names for each month:

For the detailed information on Japanese months and how to use them, visit my article on Learning Japanese Names For Months.

Understanding Japanese Days

When writing days of the month in Japanese, you use the number followed by 日 (nichi), like 28日. This notation is straightforward and matches how we write dates in English. However, when pronouncing the da, it changes a bit. For example, 28日 is pronounced as にじゅうはちにち (nijūhachi nichi).

Japanese has unique pronunciations for certain days, especially for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of the month. Actually It goes with a pattern like saying Day and adding にち with it, but there are many days that does not follow the pattern. 

Here’s a table to help you understand how to say each day of the month in Japanese:

For more on Japanese days, check this detailed guide on How To Say Days Of The Month In Japanese. 

Examples of Writing Dates in Japanese

Now that you’ve learned how to write Japanese dates using the year, month, and day system, let’s look at some examples. 

Western Date: August 28, 2024

Japanese Date: 2024年8月28日 [にせんにじゅうよねん はちがつ にじゅうはちにち / Nisen-nijūyon nen hachigatsu nijūhachi nichi]

Western Date: March 5, 2023

Japanese Date: 2023年3月5日 [にせんにじゅうさんねん さんがつ いつか / Nisen-nijūsan nen sangatsu itsuka]

Understanding Japanese Era Dates

Now that we’ve got a good handle on how to say years, months, and days in Japanese, let’s dive into something a bit different: Japanese era dates.

In Japan, dates are often given using eras, which are periods defined by the reigns of emperors. Instead of just saying a year like we do in English, the Japanese also use era names to mark specific periods of time. This might sound a bit old-fashioned, but it’s still widely used in Japan today!

For example, the current era is 令和 (Reiwa), which started in 2019. Before Reiwa, there was 平成 (Heisei), and before that, 昭和 (Shōwa). Each era corresponds to a specific emperor’s reign and is used alongside the Western calendar dates.

How to Write Era Dates

When writing era dates, you use the era name followed by the year number in that era. For example:

令和5年 (Reiwa go nen) – This corresponds to 2024 in the Western calendar.

Converting Western Dates to the Japanese Era System

If you have a Western date and want to convert it to the Japanese era system, you need to know the starting year of the era and subtract it from the Western year. Here’s a simple reference table to help you match Western years with their corresponding Japanese eras:

Doing this manually may be a bit difficult so, If you want to convert a Western year to its corresponding Japanese era date, you can use the English to Japanese Date Converter. This tool allows you to input a Western year and get the equivalent Japanese era date.

Alternatively, if you know the Japanese era date and want to find out the Western year, you can use the Japanese Era to English Date Converter. This tool helps you translate Japanese era dates back to Western years.

Examples of Writing Japanese Era Dates

Here are some examples of writing full dates in the Japanese era format.

Date in Western Calendar: January 15, 2024

Japanese Era Date: 令和6年1月15日 [れいわ ろく ねん いち がつ じゅうご にち / Reiwa roku nen ichi gatsu jūgo nichi]

Date in Western Calendar: April 2, 1995

Japanese Era Date: 平成7年4月2日 [へいせい しち ねん し がつ ふつか / Heisei shichi nen shi gatsu futsuka]

So, how do you say your Date of Birth in Japanese if it’s 1st June 1998?

Well, as you can now write Japanese dates in both the normal and Japanese era formats, you can express this using the method you prefer.

In the normal date format, 1st June 1998 can be written as: 1998年6月1日 [せんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうはちねん ろくがつ ついたち / Senkyūhyaku-kyūjūhachi nen rokugatsu tsuitachi]

And,

In the Japanese era format, it falls under the Heisei era. So, it can be written as: 平成10年6月1日 [へいせい じゅう ねん ろく がつ ついたち/ Heisei jū nen roku gatsu tsuitachi]

Asking About Dates in Japanese

Now, you might be wondering how to ask someone about the date in Japanese. Whether you’re curious about the current date or need to know a specific day, asking for it is quite simple and commonly used in daily conversations.

To ask for the date in Japanese, you can use the following phrases:

今日 は 何日 ですか？[きょう は なんにち ですか？/ Kyō wa nan-nichi desu ka?]
Meaning: What is the date today?

誕生日 は いつ ですか？[たんじょうび は いつ ですか？/ Tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka?]
Meaning: When is your birthday?

This is a friendly and common way to ask someone about their birthday. 

イベント は 何月 何日 ですか？[イベント は なんがつ なんにち ですか？/ Ibento wa nangatsu nan-nichi desu ka?]
Meaning: What is the date of the event?

If you’re asking for the specific date of an event, this phrase comes in handy. It directly asks for the month and day.

会議 は いつ ですか？[かいぎ は いつ ですか？/ Kaigi wa itsu desu ka?]
Meaning: When is the meeting?

While this phrase generally asks for the time, you can also use it to ask for a full date when discussing schedules or events.

その予定 は 何年 何月 何日 ですか？[その よてい は なんねん なんがつ なんにち ですか？/ Sono yotei wa nannen nangatsu nan-nichi desu ka?]
Meaning: What year, month, and day is that plan?

This is the perfect phrase when you need to know the exact full date—year, month, and day—of any scheduled event or plan.

Talking About This Year, Last Year, and Next Year in Japanese

When discussing dates, it’s also useful to know how to talk about different years, like “this year,” “last year,” or “next year” in Japanese. Here’s how you can express these concepts, with some examples to help you practice:

This Year: 今年 (ことし/ Kotoshi)

Example Sentence:

今年の夏はどうですか？[ことしの なつ は どうですか？ / Kotoshi no natsu wa dō desu ka?]
English Translation: How is this summer going?

Last Year: 昨年 (さくねん / Sakunen) or 去年 (きょねん / Kyōnen)

Example Sentence:

去年は楽しかったですね。[きょねん は たのしかった ですね。/ Kyōnen wa tanoshikatta desu ne.]
English Translation: Last year was fun, wasn’t it?

Next Year: 来年 (らいねん / Rainen)

Example Sentence:

来年の計画はありますか？[らいねん の けいかく は ありますか？/ Rainen no keikaku wa arimasu ka?]
English Translation: Do you have plans for next year?

Related Vocabulary For Japanese Dates

Here’s a comprehensive list of key terms related to years, months, days, and weekdays in Japanese.

Vocabulary for Years

Vocabulary for Months

Vocabulary for Days

Vocabulary for Weekdays

Wrapping It All Up

So, here we are at the end of a comprehensive guide on Japanese Dates. I hope you are now able to write and say Japanese dates with ease. 

Happy learning, and here’s to making your Japanese language journey even more exciting! 🎉

さようなら。。。。。。。。。。。。