Meaning
Stating the current day of the week.
Cultural Background
The concept of 'Wol-yo-byeong' (Monday sickness) is very strong. You'll see many memes and office workers complaining about it on social media every Monday morning. 'Bul-geum' (Burning Friday) is the equivalent of 'TGIF'. It's the night when people go out for 'Chimaek' (Chicken and Beer) or 'Samgyeopsal' and Soju. Many Korean companies have a 'Family Day' on Wednesdays, where they encourage employees to leave on time to spend time with their families. Sunday is often a quiet day spent resting or at church, as Korea has a significant Christian population. Many small shops might close on Sundays.
Hanja is your friend
Learning the Hanja roots (Moon, Fire, Water, etc.) makes it impossible to forget the days.
Don't forget the 'ㄹ'
When pronouncing '요일이에요', make sure the 'ㄹ' sound is clear as it transitions to the next vowel.
Meaning
Stating the current day of the week.
Hanja is your friend
Learning the Hanja roots (Moon, Fire, Water, etc.) makes it impossible to forget the days.
Don't forget the 'ㄹ'
When pronouncing '요일이에요', make sure the 'ㄹ' sound is clear as it transitions to the next vowel.
Use '벌써'
Add '벌써' (already) to sound more natural: '벌써 오늘은 {금|金}요일이에요!' (It's already Friday!)
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct polite ending.
오늘은 {수|水}요일______.
'요일' ends in a consonant, so '이에요' is the correct polite informal ending.
Which sentence means 'Today is Friday'?
Select the correct Korean translation.
{금|金}요일 is Friday.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 오늘 무슨 요일이에요? B: ___________.
The question asks 'What day is it today?', so the answer should start with 'Today is...'
Match the day to the cultural concept.
Which day is associated with 'Bul-geum' (Burning Friday)?
Friday is the day for 'Bul-geum' in Korea.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
The Seven Days of the Week
Celestial Bodies
- • 월 (Moon)
- • 화 (Mars)
- • 수 (Mercury)
- • 목 (Jupiter)
- • 금 (Venus)
- • 토 (Saturn)
- • 일 (Sun)
Practice Bank
4 exercises오늘은 {수|水}요일______.
'요일' ends in a consonant, so '이에요' is the correct polite informal ending.
Select the correct Korean translation.
{금|金}요일 is Friday.
A: 오늘 무슨 요일이에요? B: ___________.
The question asks 'What day is it today?', so the answer should start with 'Today is...'
Which day is associated with 'Bul-geum' (Burning Friday)?
Friday is the day for 'Bul-geum' in Korea.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questions'은' is the topic marker. It sets 'Today' as the subject we are talking about. '이' would focus more on 'Today' as the specific thing that is the day, which sounds a bit more like a definition than a statement.
Yes, in response to a question, you can drop '오늘은' and just say '{월|月}요일이에요.' It's very natural.
On calendars, Sunday is usually the first day, but culturally, Monday is seen as the start of the work/school week.
Use '-입니다' instead of '-이에요'. For example: '오늘은 {월|月}요일입니다.'
You would say '오늘은 공휴일이에요.' (Today is a public holiday.)
No, Korean does not have capital letters. All days are written in the same size.
'요일' ({요|曜}{일|日}) literally means 'shining day' or 'day of the luminary'.
Young people often shorten the days in text, like '월욜' instead of '월요일'. '오늘 월욜이야.'
It stands for 'Bul-ta-neun Geum-yo-il' (Burning Friday), the Korean version of TGIF.
어제는 무슨 요일이었어요?
Related Phrases
오늘 무슨 요일이에요?
similarWhat day is it today?
내일은 [요일]이에요.
builds onTomorrow is [Day].
어제는 [요일]이었어요.
builds onYesterday was [Day].
주말 잘 보내세요.
specialized formHave a good weekend.
