Japanese days of the week game
Seven days named after the moon, five elements and the sun: moon, fire, water, wood, metal, earth, sun, each followed by yōbi. Six more words place something on them, among them kyō, ashita, kinō and mainichi.
13 words 5 games Free · no signup
Five games take this set. Sky Rescue works well here, since the seven days share the same yōbi ending and the game gives you enough time to read the kanji in front of it rather than guessing from shape.
The 13 words you will practise
| Japanese | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| 月曜日 げつようびgetsuyōbi | Monday | geh-tsoo-YOH-bee |
| 火曜日 かようびkayōbi | Tuesday | kah-YOH-bee |
| 水曜日 すいようびsuiyōbi | Wednesday | soo-ee-YOH-bee |
| 木曜日 もくようびmokuyōbi | Thursday | moh-koo-YOH-bee |
| 金曜日 きんようびkinyōbi | Friday | keen-YOH-bee |
| 土曜日 どようびdoyōbi | Saturday | doh-YOH-bee |
| 日曜日 にちようびnichiyōbi | Sunday | nee-chee-YOH-bee |
| 今日 きょうkyō | today | kyoh |
| 明日 あしたashita | tomorrow | ah-SHTAH |
| 昨日 きのうkinō | yesterday | kee-NOH |
| 今週 こんしゅうkonshū | this week | kohn-SHOO |
| 週末 しゅうまつshūmatsu | the weekend | SHOO-mah-tsoo |
| 毎日 まいにちmainichi | every day | my-NEE-chee |
Want the explanations rather than the drill? Read the Japanese days of the week lesson.
5 games run on this set
- Sky Rescue: 10 rounds
- Pop Quiz: 10 rounds
- Kraken Escape: 48 rounds
- Warp Run: 10 rounds
- Flooded Hold: 6 rounds
Questions
What do the kanji in the days actually mean?
Getsu is moon, ka fire, sui water, moku wood, kin metal or gold, do earth, nichi sun. The five in the middle are the classical elements, which is the same scheme behind the planet names, and it makes the seven days one of the most useful early kanji sets.
Kyō, ashita, kinō: which is which?
Kyō is today, ashita tomorrow, kinō yesterday. All three are written with kanji whose readings here are irregular, so they are learned as whole words rather than assembled from parts.
Keep learning Japanese in Vocabloot
Snap anything and learn the Japanese word for it, with pronunciation and an example sentence.
