日課
nikka[ɲ̟ik̚ka̠]
To say daily routine in Japanese, use 日課 (nikka).
日課 refers to the tasks or habits a person does regularly every day, often with a sense of discipline or duty.
What does it mean word for word?
日 means day and 課 means lesson or assigned task.
Which one should you use?
The loanword ルーチン (rūchin) is used more in modern or technical contexts, such as a computer routine or a repeated physical movement.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe your routine step by step, polite verb forms work well, such as 朝ごはんを食べます。 (I eat breakfast), 仕事をします。 (I work) and 寝ます。 (I go to sleep). With friends, the plain forms 朝ごはんを食べる and 寝る are used. To give the hour, add 時 to a number, as in 7時 for 7 o'clock.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized nikka. The double k is held slightly longer than a single one.
Did you know?
- The word 日課 (nikka) was historically used to describe the strict daily schedules of Buddhist monks, focusing on spiritual discipline rather than casual habits.
- Japanese speakers often combine the loanword for routine with 'work' to create ルーチンワーク (rūchinwāku), specifically meaning mindless or repetitive office tasks.
- The character 課 used in 日課 (nikka) is the same one used to name a 'department' or 'division' in a Japanese government office or company.
Examples in context
- 土曜日は早起きしてジョギングをします。On Saturdays, I wake up early and go jogging.
- 晩ごはんの後、大切なプレゼンテーションを準備します。After dinner, I will prepare for an important presentation.
- 昼休みに友達とカフェに行ってランチをするよ。During lunch break, I go to a cafe with my friends and have lunch.
- 今日の予定は特にないから、家でゲームをするつもり。I don't have any specific plans for today, so I'm planning to play games at home.
- 新しい日課を作るのは難しいですね。Atarashii nikka o tsukuru no wa muzukashii desu ne.It is difficult to create a new daily routine, isn't it?
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are talking about their morning habits.
- 健太 Kenta美咲さんは、朝に何か日課をしていますか？Misaki-san wa, asa ni nanika nikka o shite imasu ka?Misaki, do you have any daily routine in the morning?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、ヨガをすることが日課です。Hai, yoga o suru koto ga nikka desu.Yes, doing yoga is my daily routine.
- 健太 Kentaそれは健康的ですね。Sore wa kenkou-teki desu ne.That's very healthy.
- 美咲 Misaki健太さんはどうですか？Kenta-san wa dou desu ka?How about you, Kenta?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 日課, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
