もくようび

§ What does もくようび mean?

もくようび (mokuyoubi) is the Japanese word for Thursday. It's a fundamental vocabulary word you'll use often when talking about schedules, plans, or simply the day of the week.

Japanese Word

もくようび

Romanization

mokuyoubi

Definition

Thursday

CEFR Level

A2

§ How to use it in a sentence

Using もくようび in a sentence is straightforward. Like other days of the week in Japanese, you can combine it with various particles to specify when something happens or when you're talking about Thursday in general.

§ Talking about Thursday as a general day

When you're simply stating a fact or a general occurrence related to Thursday, you often don't need a particle.

Hint

Thursday is a holiday.

Hint

Do you like Thursdays?

§ Specifying an action on Thursday using に (ni)

To indicate that an action or event takes place on Thursday, use the particle に (ni) after もくようび.

Hint

I will watch a movie on Thursday.

Hint

I have work on Thursday.

§ Asking about Thursday

When you want to ask a question related to Thursday, you can use もくようび with interrogative words and particles.

Hint

What will you do on Thursday?

Hint

Is there a Thursday class?

§ Combining with other time expressions

もくようび can also be combined with words like 毎週 (maishuu - every week) or 来週 (raishuu - next week) to give more specific context.

• 毎週木曜日 (maishuu mokuyoubi): Every Thursday
• 来週木曜日 (raishuu mokuyoubi): Next Thursday
• 先週木曜日 (senshuu mokuyoubi): Last Thursday

Hint

I play tennis every Thursday.

Hint

I will go on a trip next Thursday.

By understanding these basic structures, you can confidently use もくようび in various Japanese sentences. Practice these examples, and try making your own to solidify your understanding!

§ Understanding もくようび

もくようび (mokuyoubi) is the Japanese word for Thursday. It's a straightforward noun you'll use frequently when talking about schedules, plans, and events. Knowing your days of the week is essential for basic communication in Japanese, and もくようび is one of the foundational words you need to master early on.

Let's break it down:

• 木 (moku): This kanji means 'tree' or 'wood'.
• 曜 (you): This kanji refers to 'weekday' or 'day of the week'.
• 日 (bi): This kanji means 'day'.

So, literally, it's the 'tree day'. This connection to elements and planets is common for the days of the week in Japanese, mirroring some Western linguistic origins (e.g., 'Thursday' from 'Thor's day').

§ When and Where You'll Hear もくようび

You'll encounter もくようび in a variety of everyday situations. It's a fundamental word for discussing schedules, making appointments, and generally navigating the week. Here are some common scenarios:

§ At Work

In a professional setting, もくようび is crucial for meetings, deadlines, and project planning.

§ At School

Students and teachers use もくようび to talk about classes, assignments, and school events.

§ In the News and Media

News reports, weather forecasts, and TV schedules often use もくようび to refer to specific days.

§ Practical Usage Notes

Here are a few more ways you might encounter and use もくようび:

Asking about days

何曜日 (nan'youbi) means 'what day of the week?'. So, you might hear or ask: 今日は何曜日ですか？ (Kyou wa nan'youbi desu ka? - What day is it today?)

With 'on'

To say 'on Thursday', you usually just use もくようび followed by the particle に (ni), or sometimes omit it if the context is clear. For instance, もくようびに (mokuyoubi ni).

§ What is Mokuyoubi?

Japanese Word

もくようび (mokuyoubi)

Part of Speech

Noun

CEFR Level

A2

Definition

Thursday

もくようび (mokuyoubi) is the Japanese word for Thursday. It's an essential word to know for scheduling, making plans, or simply talking about your week.

§ How to Use Mokuyoubi in Sentences

Let's look at some practical examples of how to use もくようび in everyday Japanese conversations.

Translation hint: I am busy this Thursday.

Translation hint: There is a meeting on Thursday.

Translation hint: What did you do last Thursday?

Translation hint: Let's meet next Thursday.

§ Breakdown of もくようび

The word もくようび is made up of three parts:

• 木 (moku): This kanji means 'wood' or 'tree'.
• 曜 (you): This kanji means 'weekday' or 'day of the week'.
• 日 (bi): This kanji means 'day'.

So, literally, もくようび means 'wood day'. This might seem strange, but it ties into the traditional East Asian calendar system where each day of the week is associated with one of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the sun and moon.

§ Similar Words and When to Use This One vs. Alternatives

When learning about もくようび, it's helpful to know all the days of the week in Japanese. There aren't really 'alternatives' to もくようび when you specifically mean Thursday, but understanding the pattern for all days will solidify your understanding.

Days of the Week in Japanese

• 日曜日 (nichiyoubi): Sunday (Sun day)
• 月曜日 (getsuyoubi): Monday (Moon day)
• 火曜日 (kayoubi): Tuesday (Fire day)
• 水曜日 (suiyoubi): Wednesday (Water day)
• 木曜日 (mokuyoubi): Thursday (Wood day)
• 金曜日 (kin'youbi): Friday (Gold/Metal day)
• 土曜日 (doyoubi): Saturday (Earth day)

As you can see, all the days of the week follow a similar pattern: an element/celestial body + 曜 (you) + 日 (bi). Once you learn this pattern and the associated kanji or hiragana for each, remembering the days becomes much easier.

There are also terms for 'today', 'tomorrow', 'yesterday', etc., which you'll use alongside the days of the week.

Related Time Words

• 今日 (kyou): Today
• 明日 (ashita): Tomorrow
• 昨日 (kinou): Yesterday
• 今週 (konshuu): This week
• 来週 (raishuu): Next week
• 先週 (senshuu): Last week

You wouldn't use these as alternatives to もくようび, but rather in conjunction with it to specify *which* Thursday you're talking about. For instance:

Translation hint: Are you free next Thursday?

Knowing もくようび and the other days of the week is fundamental for discussing your schedule and making plans in Japanese. Practice saying them aloud and try to incorporate them into your daily conversations to help them stick!