Understanding 曜日 (ようび)
曜日 means "day of the week" and is used to specify which day it is, such as Monday, Tuesday, etc. It is a common noun used in everyday conversation, schedules, and planning.
Common Usage
You will often see 曜日 combined with the names of the days: 月曜日 (Monday), 火曜日 (Tuesday), 水曜日 (Wednesday), and so on. It is frequently used when talking about appointments, events, or routines.
Collocations and Patterns
- 毎週曜日 (まいしゅうようび): every [day of the week], e.g., 毎週金曜日 (every Friday)
- 何曜日 (なんようび): what day of the week?
- 曜日を間違える: to mistake the day of the week
Usage Notes
曜日 is a neutral, polite word suitable for both formal and informal contexts. When asking about the day, 何曜日ですか？ is a very common and natural question. Be careful not to confuse 曜日 with 日 (にち), which can mean "day" in a more general sense or "date" on the calendar.
Common Mistake
Learners sometimes omit 曜日 and just say "今日は何日？" which asks for the date (number) rather than the day of the week. To specifically ask for the weekday, always include 曜日.