days of the month in japanese

Learning the days of the month in Japanese means learning how to read dates such as the first, second, and twentieth. Japanese writes these with a number followed by 日, but several have special readings. 1日 is ついたち (tsuitachi) as a calendar date, and 20日 is はつか (hatsuka). These are different from the names of the days of the week in Japanese.

How Do Japanese Dates Work?

A Japanese calendar date uses 日 after the day number. For many dates after the tenth, it is read にち (nichi), as in 12日 — jūninichi. However, you cannot apply this reading to every date. The first ten dates, the fourteenth, the twentieth, and the twenty-fourth need particular attention.

In English, you may say “the fifth” or “May fifth.” Japanese does not add a separate word equivalent to “the” before the date. 5月5日 is read ごがついつか (gogatsu itsuka). The month comes first, followed by the day.

The same written number-plus-日 can also describe a duration in some contexts. That is why you should learn a complete sentence, not just the isolated characters. The most important early distinction is 1日: tsuitachi as the first day of the month, but ichinichi for a duration of one day.

Important Date Patterns

1. 1日 — Tsuitachi

ついたち is the calendar reading for the first of the month. 4月1日 is shigatsu tsuitachi, “April first.” Do not use ichinichi as the ordinary date reading for the first in a beginner calendar exercise.

By contrast, 一日中 (いちにちじゅう, ichinichijū) means “all day.” Here the word refers to a whole day rather than its position at the start of the month. The written characters are related, but the context changes the reading and meaning.

2. 2日 to 10日 — Special Readings

The early dates use established words such as ふつか for the second and みっか for the third. Learn them as complete forms. Trying to build the second as ni nichi will not give you the ordinary calendar reading.

These forms also appear in many expressions for a number of days, such as futsuka for two days. For a beginner, practice the calendar sequence first, then compare complete duration phrases so you do not mix up “on the second” and “for two days.”

3. 14日 and 24日 — Yokka Forms

14日 is じゅうよっか (jūyokka), and 24日 is にじゅうよっか (nijūyokka). Both retain the yokka ending associated with the fourth. They are common exceptions to a simple number-plus-nichi pattern.

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4. 20日 — Hatsuka

20日 is はつか (hatsuka). This special form is worth memorizing on its own. The twenty-first then returns to にじゅういちにち (nijūichinichi), so do not try to extend hatsuka into the rest of the twenties.

Also keep hatsuka separate from はたち (hatachi), which is a common word for twenty years of age. The sounds are similar enough to confuse learners, but they refer to different things.

Days of the Month in Japanese: Full Chart

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This chart gives a standard beginner set of calendar readings. In speech you may encounter alternative number readings for some dates, particularly those involving seven. Start by learning one clear set consistently, then recognize variations as your listening develops.

Pronunciation Tips

Pay attention to the small っ in みっか and よっか. It marks a short pause before the next consonant. Hold the closure briefly before saying the k; do not add a separate vowel or skip the pause entirely.

Also distinguish ようか (yōka), the eighth, from よっか (yokka), the fourth. The eighth has a long vowel, while the fourth has the consonant pause. They may look similar in a rough English guide, but their rhythm is different.

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とおか (tōka), the tenth, contains a long o. ここのか (kokonoka), the ninth, has four distinct short beats. Practice the kana reading slowly, then repeat the whole date with a month so the number becomes part of a usable phrase.

Saying a Complete Date

Japanese places the larger calendar units first: year, month, then day. 5月3日 is ごがつみっか (gogatsu mikka), “May third.” 10月20日 is じゅうがつはつか (jūgatsu hatsuka), “October twentieth.”

The month counter is 月 (がつ, gatsu). Some month names also have particular readings: April is shigatsu, July is shichigatsu, and September is kugatsu. Learn these alongside the date forms rather than assuming every number uses the first reading you know.

To say when an event occurs, に often follows a specific date: 5月3日に会いましょう means “Let’s meet on May third.” The particle marks the time of the meeting. A basic statement identifying a date, such as “Today is May third,” has a different structure.

Asking What Date It Is

今日は何日ですか。 — Kyō wa nannichi desu ka? — asks “What is today’s date?” If you need both the month and day, say 今日は何月何日ですか。 — Kyō wa nangatsu nannichi desu ka?

For the weekday, use 何曜日 (なんようび, nan’yōbi) instead. Kyō wa nan’yōbi desu ka? means “What day of the week is it today?” Its answer might be Monday, rather than a date such as the third.

• 何日ですか。 — What date is it? / How many days is it? Context decides.
• 何月何日ですか。 — What month and day is it?
• 何曜日ですか。 — What day of the week is it?
• 誕生日はいつですか。 — When is your birthday?

Including the topic makes the question clearer. Tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka? asks about a birthday, while Yoyaku wa nangatsu nannichi desu ka? asks for the reservation’s month and day. The same date vocabulary works in each situation.

Example Sentences

These examples use a birthday, a plan, and a reservation. The readings are provided in kana, and the audio follows those readings.

Common Mistakes

Do not read every date by attaching nichi to an ordinary number. Memorize the first ten dates and the special forms for fourteen, twenty, and twenty-four. Keep tsuitachi for the first of a month separate from ichinichi, a duration of one day.

Do not confuse the fourth, yokka, with the eighth, yōka. Preserve long vowels and consonant pauses. Finally, distinguish dates from weekdays: nannichi asks for a date or number of days in context, while nan’yōbi asks which weekday.

Summary

The days of the month in Japanese combine number words with 日, but important dates have special readings. Start with ついたち through とおか, then learn じゅうよっか, はつか, and にじゅうよっか.

Say the month before the day, preserve long vowels and small っ sounds, and practice complete phrases such as gogatsu mikka. Keep dates and weekdays separate so you can ask and answer the right calendar question.

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