Learn How To Say Days Of The Month In Japanese

みなさんこんにちは

きょうはなんにちですか？ (Kyō wa nan-nichi desu ka?)

Oh! Wait…

Does that sound confusing?

If you’re here, you’re probably trying to figure out how to say the days of the month in Japanese.

Am I right?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In Japan, they don’t just say “1st,” “2nd,” and “3rd” like we do in English. There are different and unique ways of counting days in Japanese. 

It might seem a little different at first, but don’t worry—learning it is going to be a lot easier (and more fun!) than you think!

Ready?

Let’s dive in!

Understanding Japanese Dates

Before we dive into the specific days, let’s talk a bit about how dates work in Japan. 

Unlike English, where we simply add “st,” “nd,” or “rd” to numbers, the Japanese language has its own unique system for naming the days of the month.

For most dates, you just need to know the Japanese numbers. But here’s the catch: the first ten days and some specific days have their own special names. Don’t worry—we’ll walk through it together!

In Japanese, dates are typically written using the number Kanji followed by “日” (nichi), which means “day.” For example, the 1st of the month is written as 一日, where 一 (ichi) is the Kanji for “1” and 日 (nichi) means “day.” Similarly, the 10th is written as 十日, where 十 (jyuu) stands for “10.”

Alternatively, dates can also be written using Arabic numerals followed by the Kanji 日 (nichi). For instance, 5日 represents the 5th of the month. This format is straightforward and commonly used in both formal and informal contexts.

The only tricky part about learning the days of the month in Japanese is the pronunciation! But don’t worry—I’ve broken it down into two parts to make it easier for you: days 1 to 10 and days 11 to 31. 

Let’s dive in.

Japanese Days 1 to 10: The Special Ones

Here comes the fun part! The first ten days of the month in Japanese have unique names that don’t follow the usual number pattern. Let’s take a look:

Japanese Days 11 to 31

Now, after the 10th, things get a little easier. Most days follow a pattern where you just use the number and add “日” (にち / nichi) at the end. Let’s take a look:

While most days of the month in Japanese follow a straightforward pattern, a few have unique pronunciations. Let’s explore these special cases:

• 14th & 24th: For both the 14th and 24th days of the month, the Japanese use “よっか” (yokka) at the end instead of the expected “じゅうよんにち” (ju-yon-nichi) or “にじゅうよんにち” (nijū-yon-nichi). Remember that it’s taken from the date 4th which is よっか alone. 

• 17th and 27th: The 17th and 27th days of the month feature a unique pronunciation for the number “7.” Instead of the more common “なな” (nana), the term “しち” (shichi) is used. 

• 19th and 29th: For the 19th and 29th days, the number “9” is pronounced as “く” (ku) rather than “きゅう” (kyū). 

• 20th: The 20th day of the month is called “はつか” (hatsuka) instead of the regular “にじゅうにち” (nijū-nichi). This term is a unique exception and does not follow the typical numerical naming convention.

Example Sentences: Using Days of the Month in Japanese

Now that we’ve covered how to say the days of the month in Japanese, let’s put them into practice with some simple sentences.

English: My birthday is on the 5th.
Japanese: 私の誕生日は5日です。[わたしのたんじょうびはいつかです]
Romaji: Watashi no tanjōbi wa itsuka desu.

English: I have a meeting on the 10th.”
Japanese: 私は10日に会議があります。[わたしはとおかにかいぎがあります]
Romaji: Watashi wa tōka ni kaigi ga arimasu.

English: We will travel on the 14th.
Japanese: 私たちは14日に旅行します。[わたしたちはじゅうよっかにりょこうします。]
Romaji: Watashitachi wa jū-yokka ni ryokō shimasu.

English: The festival is on the 20th.
Japanese: 祭りは20日です。[まつりははつかです。]
Romaji: Matsuri wa hatsuka desu.

English: The appointment is on the 29th.
Japanese: 予定は29日です。[よていはにじゅうくにちです。]
Romaji: Yotei wa nijū-ku nichi desu.

Talking About Days: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow in Japanese

Now, let’s explore how to talk about the days surrounding today. In Japanese, just like in English, there are specific words for “Yesterday,” “Today,” “Tomorrow,” “The day before yesterday,” and “The day after tomorrow”. 

Let’s dive in!

How to Say “The Day Before Yesterday” in Japanese

The phrase for “The day before yesterday” in Japanese is 一昨日 (おととい, ototoi). Let’s see an example:

English: I went shopping the day before yesterday.
Japanese: 一昨日、買い物に行きました。[おととい、かいものにいきました。]
Romaji: Ototoi, kaimono ni ikimashita.

How to Say “Yesterday” in Japanese

To say “Yesterday” in Japanese, you use the word 昨日 (きのう, kinō). Here is an example explaining something happened Yesterday.

English: I studied Japanese yesterday.
Japanese: 昨日、日本語を勉強しました。[きのう、にほんごをべんきょうしました。]
Romaji: Kinō, Nihongo o benkyō shimashita.

How to Say “Today” in Japanese

“Today” in Japanese is 今日 (きょう, kyō). See the example below using the word 今日:

English: Today is a sunny day.
Japanese: 今日は晴れです。[きょうははれです。]
Romaji: Kyō wa hare desu.

How to Say “Tomorrow” in Japanese

The word for “Tomorrow” in Japanese is 明日 (あした, ashita). Creating an example sentence using this word:

English: I will meet my friend tomorrow.
Japanese: 明日、友達に会います。[あした、ともだちにあいます。]
Romaji: Ashita, tomodachi ni aimasu.

How to Say “The Day After Tomorrow” in Japanese

“The day after tomorrow” is expressed as 明後日 (あさって, asatte) in Japanese.

English: I have an appointment the day after tomorrow.
Japanese: 明後日、予定があります。[あさって、よていがあります。]
Romaji: Asatte, yotei ga arimasu.

How to Say “Every Day” in Japanese

To say “Every day” in Japanese, you use 毎日 (まいにち, mainichi). For example:

English: I exercise every day.
Japanese: 毎日、運動します。[まいにち、うんどうします。]
Romaji: Mainichi, undō shimasu.

Counting periods or durations of days in Japanese

When counting periods or durations of days in Japanese follows a straightforward pattern. We simply use the term 間 (かん, Kan) to indicate the duration, which comes after the number of days. For example, “二日間” (futsukakan) means “two days,” where “二日” (futsuka) means “two days” and “間” (kan) denotes the period.

Below is a table that outlines how to count durations from one day up to thirty-one days.

In Japanese, the term for “one day” in the context of a duration is typically “一日間” (いちにちかん, ichinichikan). However, it is important to note that while “一日間” (ichinichikan) is grammatically correct and technically accurate, it is not commonly used in everyday conversation.

Instead, “一日” (いちにち, ichinichi) is more frequently used to refer to “one day” as a standalone period. For example, “一日” is often used in contexts like “一日券” (いちにちけん, ichinichiken), which means “a ticket valid for one day.” This phrase highlights the ticket’s validity period of a single day.

So while “いちにちかん” (ichinichikan) can be used, it is more natural and common to use “いちにち” (ichinichi) when referring to one day in a general sense.

Asking about days in Japanese

When you’re trying to ask about specific days in Japanese, there are a couple of useful phrases to know: “いつ” (itsu) and “何日” (なんにち, nan-nichi).

• いつ (itsu): This word means “when” and is used to ask about the general timing of something. It’s not specific to dates, but can be used in contexts where you want to know when something is happening. For example, you might ask:

いつ行きますか？ (いついきますか？, Itsu ikimasu ka?)
When will you go?

• 何日 (なんにち, nan-nichi): This phrase literally means “what day” and is used specifically to ask about the date. It’s very useful when you want to know the exact day of an event or appointment. For example:

パーティーは何日ですか？ (パーティーはなんにちですか？, Pātī wa nan-nichi desu ka?)
What day is the party?

Wrapping It All Up

And there you have it! Learning how to talk about days in Japanese is like unlocking a new way to experience the language. 

So, 

きょうはなんにちですか？

Now, you can confidently answer it, right? No more guessing—you’ve got this! 😉

Thanks for sticking with it—your journey with the Japanese language is just getting started!

Explore other Learning Resources:

How To Say Days Of The Week In Japanese

Learn Japanese Names For Months

Happy Learning. さようなら……………….