良い日曜日を
yoi nichiyōbi o
In Japanese, happy Sunday is 良い日曜日を (yoi nichiyōbi o).
良い日曜日を is a greeting used to wish someone a pleasant Sunday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of yoi meaning good, nichiyōbi meaning Sunday and the particle o which marks the object.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
良い日曜日を is an informal, shortened version of the more polite phrase yoi nichiyōbi o osugoshi kudasai.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ends with the particle o (を), which implies an omitted verb such as 'to spend' or 'to have' (過ごして/過ごして下さい).
How do you pronounce it?
yoi nichiyōbi o
Did you know?
- In a professional setting, using 良い日曜日を to a superior might be seen as too casual because it implies you are directing how they should spend their private time.
- While 日曜日 means 'Sunday', the character 日 refers to the 'sun' and 曜日 means 'day of the week'. This reflects an ancient system linking days to celestial bodies.
- In many social settings, rather than wishing a 'happy' day, Japanese people are more likely to use phrases that wish for 'peace' or 'rest' during the weekend.
Examples in context
- 皆、良い日曜日を。mina, yoi nichiyoubi o.Have a good Sunday, everyone.
- 家族と一緒に、良い日曜日を。Kazoku to issho ni, yoi nichiyoubi o.Have a good Sunday with your family.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are leaving a cafe on Sunday morning.
- 蓮 Ren今日は楽しかったね。Kyou wa tanoshikatta ne.Today was fun, wasn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、本当に。また来週ね。Un, hontou ni. Mata raishuu ne.Yeah, really. See you next week.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さん、良い日曜日を。Yui-san, yoi nichiyoubi o.Have a good Sunday, Yui.
- 結衣 Yuiありがとう、蓮さんもね。Arigatou, Ren-san mo ne.Thanks, you too, Ren.
