一日中
ichinichijū[it͡ɕiɲ̟it͡ɕiʑɨː]
In Japanese, "all day" is expressed as 一日中 (ichinichijū). Wiktionary also lists 終日 (jūjitsu).
Meaning: the entire day (adv)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 一日中 | ichinichijū | [it͡ɕiɲ̟it͡ɕiʑɨː] (narrow) |
| 終日 | jūjitsu | [çine̞mo̞sɨ] (narrow) [çime̞mo̞sɨ] (narrow) |
The phrase is used as an adverb to describe an action or state that persists for the entire duration of a day.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 一日中 is composed of 一日, meaning "one day" and the suffix 中, meaning "middle" or "throughout". Literally, it means "throughout one day".
Which one should you use?
While both terms refer to the entire day, 終日 is a more formal or business-like way to say "all day" or "throughout the day" compared to the more common 一日中.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix 中 (pronounced jū) can be attached to various time periods, such as 一日 (one day) or 年 (year), to indicate that something occurs throughout that entire period.
How do you pronounce it?
ichinichijū
Did you know?
- In certain poetic or older contexts, the word 終日 can be read as ひめもす (himemosu) or ひねもす (hinemosu), a pronunciation much rarer in modern conversation.
- Japanese distinguishes between 一日 as 'one day' (a count) and 一日中 as 'all day' (a duration), meaning you cannot simply use the first to imply the second.
- The phrase 一日中 is often used in Japanese to emphasize the tediousness or exhaustion of a task, rather than just the time it took.
Examples in context
- 彼は一日中眠った。He slept all day.This sentence uses 一日中 to describe someone sleeping all day.Tatoeba #109880 by bunbuku, translation #293809 by CK
- 一日中、雨だった。It rained all day.This sentence uses 一日中 to describe weather that rained all day.Tatoeba #11796810 by bunbuku, translation #2617238 by Prophete
- 一日中寝てました。I stayed in bed all day.This sentence uses 一日中 to describe staying in bed all day.Tatoeba #12049615 by small_snow, translation #10766670 by CK
- 仕事で一日中忙しかったです。I was busy all day at work.
- 彼女と一日中公園で遊んだ。I spent the entire day playing at the park with her.
- 昨日は終日ゲームをしていた。I played games all day yesterday.
- 130 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a busy workday at a cafe.
- 大翔 Hiroto今日は一日中忙しかった？Kyou wa ichinichijuu isogashikatta?Were you busy all day today?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、一日中会議だったよ。Un, ichinichijuu kaigi datta yo.Yeah, I was in meetings all day.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは大変だったね。Sore wa taihen datta ne.That must have been tough.
- 美咲 Misakiやっと終わったよ！Yatto owatta yo!It's finally over!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “all day” translations and entries 一日中, 終日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
