しゅう

§ What しゅう means and how to use it

The Japanese word しゅう (shuu) means 'week'. It's a straightforward noun that you'll use constantly when talking about time. Think about how often you say 'week' in English – 'this week', 'next week', 'last week', 'every week', 'a few weeks ago'. You'll use しゅう in very similar ways in Japanese.

You'll often see しゅう combined with other words to specify a particular week. This is super common and important to learn right away. For example, to say 'this week', you add 今 (kon) before it, making it 今週 (konshuu). For 'next week', you use 来 (rai) for 来週 (raishuu). And for 'last week', you use 先 (sen) for 先週 (senshuu).

Let's break down these common uses of しゅう with some clear examples. You'll notice that the structure is very consistent, making it easier to pick up.

DEFINITION

Week

When you're talking about plans or events, しゅう is essential. For instance, if you want to say 'I have a test next week,' you'd use 来週. If you're reflecting on something that happened, like 'I went on a trip last week,' you'd use 先週. And for current events, like 'I'm busy this week,' it's 今週. See how simple and direct it is?

You can also use しゅう with numbers to specify a certain number of weeks. For example, 'one week' is 一週間 (isshuukan), 'two weeks' is 二週間 (nishuukan), and so on. Note the addition of 間 (kan) here. This 間 means 'period' or 'duration', so 一週間 literally means 'a one-week period'.

Here are some other combinations you'll encounter:

• 毎週 (maishuu): Every week

• 週末 (shuumatsu): Weekend (literally 'week end')

• 平日 (heijitsu): Weekday (not directly using しゅう but related to the week concept)

Understanding these patterns is key to quickly expanding your Japanese vocabulary around time. Don't just learn the word しゅう in isolation; learn its common partners too. This will make your sentences sound much more natural.

§ Understanding しゅう (shū)

The Japanese word for 'week' is しゅう (shū). It's a straightforward noun, and you'll find it incredibly useful for talking about time and scheduling. Let's break down how to use it effectively in your conversations.

Meaning

Week

CEFR Level

A2

§ Basic usage: Counting weeks

When you want to talk about 'one week,' 'two weeks,' and so on, you'll use counter words. For weeks, the counter is かん (kan).

• いっしゅうかん (isshūkan): One week
• にしゅうかん (nishūkan): Two weeks
• さんしゅうかん (sanshūkan): Three weeks

Hint

I was in Japan for two weeks.

§ Talking about specific weeks

You can easily refer to 'this week,' 'next week,' or 'last week' by adding specific prefixes to しゅう (shū).

• こんしゅう (konshū): This week
• らいしゅう (raishū): Next week
• せんしゅう (senshū): Last week

Hint

Are you free this week?

Hint

There's a party next week.

Hint

I watched a movie last week.

§ Using しゅう with 'every'

To say 'every week,' you use まい (mai) before しゅう.

• まいしゅう (maishū): Every week

Hint

I study Japanese every week.

§ Asking about weeks

To ask 'how many weeks,' you use なん (nan) + しゅうかん (shūkan).

• なんしゅうかん (nanshūkan): How many weeks?

Hint

How many weeks will you stay in Japan?

§ しゅう (Shuu) - What it means

Japanese Word

しゅう (shuu)

Part of Speech

Noun

CEFR Level

A2

Definition

Week

The Japanese word しゅう (shuu) simply means "week." It's a fundamental unit of time you'll use constantly. Think of it like how you use "week" in English. It's a straightforward word, but there are a few important things to know about how it combines with other words to express different ideas about time.

§ How to use しゅう (Shuu)

You'll often see しゅう (shuu) combined with numbers or other time words to specify a period or frequency. Here are some common patterns:

• Number + しゅう: To say "one week," "two weeks," etc.
• こんしゅう (konshuu): This week
• らいしゅう (raishuu): Next week
• せんしゅう (senshuu): Last week
• まいしゅう (maishuu): Every week

Let's look at some examples to make this clear.

Hint

He is busy this week.

Hint

The test is next week.

Hint

Last week, I watched a movie with my friend.

Hint

I study Japanese every week.

§ しゅう (Shuu) with numbers

When you want to say "for X weeks" or "X weeks ago," you use a number followed by しゅう (shuu) and often the particle ～かん (kan) to mean "for a duration of." However, with just a number and しゅう, it refers to the number of weeks.

• いっしゅうかん (isshuukan): One week (duration)
• にしゅうかん (nishuukan): Two weeks (duration)
• さんしゅうかん (sanshuukan): Three weeks (duration)

Hint

He came to Japan two weeks ago.

Hint

This project will take three weeks.

§ Where you actually hear this word — work, school, news

You'll encounter しゅう (shuu) in almost any context where time is discussed. It's a fundamental word, so expect to hear it:

• At work: Scheduling meetings, project timelines, deadlines. "来週の会議はいつですか？ (Raishuu no kaigi wa itsu desu ka? - When is next week's meeting?)"
• At school: Exam schedules, homework due dates, semester breaks. "今週の宿題は難しいです。 (Konshuu no shukudai wa muzukashii desu. - This week's homework is difficult.)"
• In news: Reporting on events, economic forecasts, future plans. "先週、新しい法律が可決されました。 (Senshuu, atarashii hōritsu ga kaketsu saremashita. - Last week, a new law was passed.)"
• In daily conversation: Making plans, talking about past events, discussing routines. "毎週、スーパーに行きます。(Maishuu, suupaa ni ikimasu. - I go to the supermarket every week.)"

§ Wrap-up

しゅう (shuu) is a simple but essential word in Japanese. By learning its common combinations, you'll greatly improve your ability to discuss time and schedules. Keep practicing these phrases, and they'll become second nature.

§ しゅう (shuu): Week.

Japanese Word

しゅう (shuu)

Definition

Week.

Alright, let's talk about しゅう (shuu), which means 'week'. It seems simple enough, but there are some common traps learners fall into. Pay attention to these so you don't make the same mistakes.

§ Mistake 1: Confusing しゅう with 週間 (shūkan)

You'll often hear しゅう (shuu) combined with a number to mean 'X weeks', like 一週間 (isshūkan) for 'one week' or 二週間 (nishūkan) for 'two weeks'. The 週間 part is a counter for weeks. The mistake here is thinking you can use しゅう by itself to mean 'a week' without a counter, or mixing it up in other ways.

You wouldn't typically say 「一しゅうかかります」. It's not grammatically correct for counting. Always remember to add the -間 (kan) to make it 週間 when counting periods of weeks.

§ Mistake 2: Not knowing common week-related vocabulary

しゅう (shuu) is a component in many other important words related to 'week'. Don't just learn しゅう in isolation. You need to know these related terms to talk about weeks effectively.

• 今週 (konshuu): This week
• 先週 (senshuu): Last week
• 来週 (raishuu): Next week
• 毎週 (maishuu): Every week
• 週末 (shuumatsu): Weekend

§ Mistake 3: Overthinking the 'this week' vs. 'the week' distinction

While しゅう (shuu) means 'week', you generally won't use it on its own to say 'this week' like you might in English. For 'this week', you *must* use 今週 (konshuu). Using just しゅう might sound incomplete or unnatural.

Think of しゅう as the building block, and 今週, 先週, etc., as the actual phrases you use in conversation. It's like how in English we say 'this morning' not just 'morning' when referring to a specific morning.

You wouldn't say 「しゅうのニュース」 in this context. It just doesn't sound right to a native speaker.

§ Mistake 4: Pronunciation and Pitch Accent

Japanese has pitch accent, and while しゅう (shuu) itself is fairly straightforward, incorrect pitch can sometimes make you sound unnatural. For しゅう, it's generally a high-low pattern (Shuu-), but more importantly, pay attention to the pitch of the compound words.

For example:

• 今週 (konshuu): High-low-low (kon-shuu-)
• 先週 (senshuu): High-low-low (sen-shuu-)
• 来週 (raishuu): Low-high-low (ra-i-shuu-) - notice the 'i' drops after 'ra' and then 'shuu' is low
• 毎週 (maishuu): High-low-low (mai-shuu-)

§ Recap

To avoid mistakes with しゅう (shuu):

• Use 週間 (shūkan) when counting specific numbers of weeks.
• Memorize and use the common related terms like 今週 (konshuu), 先週 (senshuu), 来週 (raishuu), 毎週 (maishuu), and 週末 (shuumatsu).
• Don't use しゅう alone to mean 'this week'. Use 今週.
• Pay attention to pitch accent for natural pronunciation.

Keep practicing these and you'll be using 'week' in Japanese like a pro in no time. Good luck!

§ Understanding しゅう (shuu)

You've learned that しゅう (shuu) means 'week'. It's a fundamental word for talking about time in Japanese. Let's look at how it fits with other time-related words and when to use it specifically.

しゅう (shuu) is a counter word. This means you attach it to a number to specify how many weeks. For example:

Hint: One week.

Hint: Three weeks.

§ Similar words and when to use them

There aren't many direct alternatives for 'week' in Japanese in the same way you might have synonyms for other words. However, you need to understand how しゅう (shuu) combines with other elements to form different week-related phrases. The key is understanding that しゅう (shuu) is often part of a longer phrase or used with specific particles.

今週 (こんしゅう - konshuu)

This week. This is formed by adding 今 (こん - kon), meaning 'this', to しゅう (shuu).

Hint: What are your plans for this week?

来週 (らいしゅう - raishuu)

Next week. This uses 来 (らい - rai), meaning 'next', with しゅう (shuu).

Hint: I'm going on a trip next week.

先週 (せんしゅう - senshuu)

Last week. This uses 先 (せん - sen), meaning 'previous', with しゅう (shuu).

Hint: Last week was busy.

毎週 (まいしゅう - maishuu)

Every week. This combines 毎 (まい - mai), meaning 'every', with しゅう (shuu).

Hint: I study Japanese every week.

§ When to use しゅう (shuu) on its own

While you'll often see しゅう (shuu) as part of compound words like those above, you also use it directly when counting weeks or asking about the duration in weeks.

• When counting a specific number of weeks:

Hint: Summer vacation is two weeks long.

• When asking 'how many weeks':

Hint: How many weeks will it take?

Mastering しゅう (shuu) and its related terms is crucial for discussing schedules and planning in Japanese. Pay attention to the prefixes (今, 来, 先, 毎) to quickly grasp the meaning of week-related phrases.