良い週末を
yoi shūmatsu o
The English phrase "have a great weekend" is translated into Japanese as 良い週末を (yoi shūmatsu o).
This is a friendly wish used to say goodbye to someone before the weekend begins.
Which one should you use?
While 良い週末を is a common, friendly way to say "have a great weekend," you can use other variations to change the nuance. For example, いい週末を means "Have a good weekend," and 楽しい週末を means "Have a fun weekend." If you want to encourage someone to enjoy their time, you can use 週末を存分に楽しんで to say "Enjoy your weekend to the fullest."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 良い週末を is suitable for casual or semi-formal settings. For much more formal situations, such as business settings or when speaking to superiors, you should use the polite version 良い週末をお過ごしください. You may also use 週末を楽しんでください (Please enjoy your weekend) or 週末を心地よくお過ごしください (Have a pleasantly relaxing weekend) in formal contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
yoi shūmatsu o
Did you know?
- Historically, Japanese speakers rarely said 'have a good weekend' because the concept of a 'weekend' as a distinct leisure period is a relatively recent Western import.
- In many Japanese workplaces, instead of wishing someone a good weekend, coworkers will use お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita) to acknowledge the end of the work week.
- While English speakers often say 'have a great weekend' on Thursday, Japanese speakers typically reserve 良い週末を for Friday afternoon or evening.
Examples in context
- 田中さん、いい週末をTanaka-san, have a great weekend
- 楽しい週末を！(●＾▽＾●)Have a fun weekend!
- 良い週末を。Yoi shuumatsu o.Have a great weekend.
- それでは、良い週末を！Sore dewa, yoi shuumatsu o!Well then, have a great weekend!
- 皆さんも、良い週末を。Minasan mo, yoi shuumatsu o.Everyone, have a great weekend too.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are leaving the office on a Friday afternoon.
- 美咲 Misakiお疲れ様でした。もう帰りますね。Otsukaresama deshita. Mō kaerimasu ne.Good job today. I'm heading home now.
- 陽太 Yotaお疲れ様！良い週末を。Otsukaresama! Yoi shūmatsu o.Good job! Have a great weekend.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます。陽太さんも良い週末を！Arigatō gozaimasu. Yōta-san mo yoi shūmatsu o!Thank you. You have a great weekend too, Yota!
- 陽太 Yotaありがとう。また来週ね。Arigatō. Mata raishū ne.Thanks. See you next week.
