Vocabulary List
時間 (jikan)
The seven days of the week plus the everyday words for talking about time — today, tomorrow, morning, and more.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | Monday |
| 火曜日 | kayōbi | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | suiyōbi | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | mokuyōbi | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | kin'yōbi | Friday |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | Sunday |
| 今日 | kyō | today |
| 明日 | ashita | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | kinō | yesterday |
| 今 | ima | now |
| 朝 | asa | morning |
| 昼 | hiru | noon / daytime |
| 夜 | yoru | night |
| 週 | shū | week |
| 月 | tsuki | month / moon |
| 年 | toshi | year |
Look closely at the days of the week and you'll find the five classical elements plus the sun and moon hidden inside: 月 (moon) for Monday, 火 (fire) for Tuesday, 水 (water) for Wednesday, 木 (wood) for Thursday, 金 (gold/metal) for Friday, 土 (earth) for Saturday, and 日 (sun) for Sunday. This comes from the same wuxing (五行, "five phases") cosmology that influenced the Western day names too — Saturday/Saturn and 土曜日/Saturn-as-earth share a common astrological root. Every day name ends in 曜日 (yōbi, "day of the week"), so once you know the seven element kanji, the whole week follows the same pattern.
月, 火, 水, 木, 金, 土, and 日 each have their own reference page with readings and stroke order.