良い週末を
yoi shūmatsu o
To say 'happy weekend' in Japanese, you use 良い週末を (yoi shūmatsu o).
This phrase is used to wish someone a pleasant time during their weekend, typically when parting ways with someone on a Friday or at the end of a work week.
Which one should you use?
While 良い週末を is a common way to say 'Have a good weekend', the phrase 楽しい週末を！ is specifically used to say 'Have a fun weekend!' and いい週末を！ is an informal way to say 'Have a good weekend!' If you want to tell someone to enjoy the weekend to the fullest, you can use the informal 週末を満喫して！ or use the Japanized version of 'Enjoy the weekend!', which is 週末をエンジョイ！
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal business settings, it is more natural to use the full verb form 良い週末を過ごしてください. The phrase 楽しい週末を！, いい週末を！, 週末をエンジョイ！ and 週末を満喫して！ are all informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle を (o) at the end of the phrase marks the weekend as the object of an implied verb.
How do you pronounce it?
yoi shūmatsu o
Did you know?
- In many Japanese companies, rather than wishing someone a 'good weekend', coworkers might simply say お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita) to acknowledge the end of the work week. This focuses on the effort made rather than the upcoming holiday.
- While English speakers often say 'Happy weekend', Japanese speakers rarely use the word 'happy' (shiawase) to describe a weekend. Instead, they prefer using 'good' (yoi) or 'fun' (tanoshii) to describe the experience.
- If you use the katakana version 週末をエンジョイ！, you are using 'loanword Japanese'. This can make you sound much more youthful, casual, or even slightly playful compared to traditional phrasing.
Examples in context
- いい週末を過ごしたいです！I want to have a good weekend!
- 皆さん、良い週末を！Minasan, yoi shuumatsu o!Everyone, have a great weekend!
- それでは、良い週末を。Sore de wa, yoi shuumatsu o.Well then, have a good weekend.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are leaving the office on a Friday afternoon.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔さん、お疲れ様でした。Hiroto-san, otsukaresama deshita.Good job today, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんも、お疲れ様。Misaki-san mo, otsukaresama.You too, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misaki良い週末を！Yoi shuumatsu o!Have a happy weekend!
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう、また来週。Arigatou, mata raishuu.Thanks, see you next week.
