日にち
hinichi
The phrase 'days of month' in Japanese is translated as 日にち (hinichi).
日にち is used to refer to the specific dates within a month or the concept of 'the days' in a general sense.
Which one should you use?
While 日にち refers to the days within a month, the term 日付 is more commonly used to refer to a specific calendar date, such as a date found on a receipt or a document. Additionally, the single character 日 can mean 'day' or 'day of the month', but 日にち is the more common way to discuss specific dates during conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
日にち is a noun. It can be used as a counter for days, though it is more often used to refer to the general concept of 'the dates' or 'the days'.
How do you pronounce it?
hinichi
Did you know?
- Some dates are considered unlucky in Japan. For example, the 4th and 9th of the month are sometimes avoided for weddings or funerals because the sounds of the numbers four 四 and nine 九 are homonyms for 'death' and 'suffering'.
- The word for the first day of the month, 一日 (tsuitachi), comes from the word 立つ (tatsu), meaning 'to stand' or 'to rise'. It refers to the moon 'standing' or appearing for the first time in the new lunar month.
- When counting specific dates in Japanese, the first ten days of the month use unique, irregular readings like 一日 (tsuitachi) and 二日 (futsuka) instead of standard number counting.
Examples in context
- 3月5日 (さんがつ いつか – sangatsu itsuka)March 5th
- 12月10日 (じゅうにがつ とおか – juunigatsu toka)December 10th
- 9月17日 (きゅうがつ じゅうしちにち – kyuu gatsu juushichi-nichi)September 17th
- 4月2日 (しがつ ふつか – shigatsu futsuka)April 2nd
- 日にちを教えてください。hinichi o oshiete kudasai.Please tell me the dates.
- 会議の日にちが決まりました。kaigi no hinichi ga kimarimashita.The dates for the meeting have been decided.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are planning a trip.
- 結衣 Yui旅行の日にちはどうしますか？ryokou no hinichi wa dou shimasu ka?What should we do about the dates for the trip?
- 健太 Kenta来月の土曜日がいいと思います。raigetsu no doyobi ga ii to omoimasu.I think next month's Saturdays would be good.
- 結衣 Yuiいいですね。具体的な日にちを決めましょう。ii desu ne. gutaiteki na hinichi o kimemashou.That sounds good. Let's decide on the specific dates.
- 健太 Kentaはい、カレンダーを確認しますね。hai, karendaa o kakunin shimasu ne.Okay, I will check the calendar.
