8.3 Days of the Week and Months
Building on the previous module on kanji that introduced the days of the week, we will now delve deeper into both the days of the week and the months of the year.
Introduction to the days of the week
In Japanese, the days of the week are named after elements and celestial bodies, which makes them easier to remember. Here’s a breakdown of the days of the week:
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月曜日（げつようび） | getsu-youbi | Monday | Named after the moon (月: つき: tsuki). |
| 火曜日（かようび） | ka-youbi | Tuesday | Named after fire (火: ひ: hi). Visualise lighting a fire to get your week going. |
| 水曜日（すいようび） | sui-youbi | Wednesday | Named after water (水: みず: mizu). Imagine flowing through the middle of the week like water. |
| 木曜日（もくようび） | moku-youbi | Thursday | Named after wood (木: き: ki). Picture a tree standing tall as you approach the end of the week. |
| 金曜日（きんようび） | kin-youbi | Friday | Named after gold (金: きん: kin). Think of rewarding yourself with something golden at the end of the work week. |
| 土曜日（どようび） | do-youbi | Saturday | Named after earth (土: つち: tsuchi). Envision grounding yourself and resting on this day. |
| 日曜日（にちようび） | nichi-youbi | Sunday | Named after the sun (日: ひ: hi). Imagine basking in the sunlight on a relaxing Sunday. |
Months
In Japanese, the months of the year are simply numbered in order and combined with the word for month, 月 (がつ: gatsu).
It’s important to note that while the same kanji 月 is used in the word for ‘Monday’ (月曜日: げつようび: getsu-youbi), it has a different reading when used for months: げつ for Monday, but がつ for months of the year. This highlights how the same kanji can have different readings depending on the context.
Here’s a breakdown of each month:
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一月（いちがつ） | ichi-gatsu | January |
| 二月（にがつ） | ni-gatsu | February |
| 三月（さんがつ） | san-gatsu | March |
| 四月（しがつ） | shi-gatsu | April |
| 五月（ごがつ） | go-gatsu | May |
| 六月（ろくがつ） | roku-gatsu | June |
| 七月（しちがつ） | shichi-gatsu | July |
| 八月（はちがつ） | hachi-gatsu | August |
| 九月（くがつ） | ku-gatsu | September |
| 十月（じゅうがつ） | juu-gatsu | October |
| 十一月（じゅういちがつ） | juu-ichi-gatsu | November |
| 十二月（じゅうにがつ） | juu-ni-gatsu | December |
Usage in sentences
Learning how to use the days of the week and the months of the year in sentences not only enhances your vocabulary but also integrates your knowledge of time expressions, allowing you to communicate effectively about when events are scheduled. Keep practising to gain fluency and confidence!
1. Using the ‘X は Y です’ sentence pattern
This basic sentence pattern can be used to state that it (X) is a specific day or month (Y). It can also be used to state that an event (X) is on a specific day or in a specific month.
Examples:
今日は月曜日です。
Kyou wa getsu-youbi desu.
Today is Monday.
私（わたし）の弟（おとうと）の誕生日（たんじょうび）は九月です。
Watashi no otouto no tanjoubi wa ku-gatsu desu.
My younger brother’s birthday is in September.
2. Using the ‘Time に Verb’ sentence pattern
四月に日本語（にほんご）を勉強（べんきょう）します。
Shi-gatsu ni Nihongo o benkyou shimasu.
I will study Japanese in April.
日曜日にお兄（にい）さんと遊（あそ）びます。
Nichi-youbi ni oniisan to asobi masu.
I will hang out with my older brother on Sunday.
3. Using the ‘Time に Event があります’ sentence pattern
This sentence pattern is used to indicate that an event is set to happen at a specific time. We’ll dive deeper into this in the next module. For now, here’s a quick preview of how to use the particle に to pinpoint specific times:
七月にイベント（いべんと）があります。
Shichi-gatsu ni ibento ga ari masu.
There is an event in July.
金曜日に日本語（にほんご）のクラス（くらす）があります。
Kin-youbi ni Nihongo no kurasu ga ari masu.
We have a Japanese class on Fridays.
Exercise 1
