平日
hirabi[çiɾa̠bʲi]
The English phrase "week days" is translated into Japanese as 平日 (hirabi).
平日 refers to the days of the week from Monday through Friday. It is commonly used in business contexts to refer to standard operating days, such as in the phrase 平日営業 (open on weekdays). Additionally, you can add the word 曜日 (yōbi) after a specific day name to mean 'day'.
Which one should you use?
平日 is the direct antonym of 休日 (kyūjitsu), which means 'holidays' or 'days off'.
How do you pronounce it?
hirabi
Did you know?
- The Japanese names for the days of the week are based on the 'Five Elements' and celestial bodies, linking each day to a specific element like fire, water or metal.
- The first character in 平日, 平, can also mean 'flat' or 'level' in English, reflecting the idea of an 'ordinary' or 'unremarkable' day.
- The second character of 平日 undergoes a sound change called 'rendaku', where the 'h' in 日 (hi) becomes a 'b' (bi) to make the compound easier to pronounce.
Examples in context
- きょうはなんようびですか？What day is it today?
- かようびはいそがしいです。I am busy on Tuesday.
- にちようびにあいましょう。Let's meet on Sunday.
- 平日は仕事が忙しいです。Heijitsu wa shigoto ga isogashii desu.I am busy with work on weekdays.
- 平日のランチは安いです。Heijitsu no ranchi wa yasui desu.Weekday lunches are cheap.
- 平日は早起きしなければなりません。Heijitsu wa hayaoki shinakereba narimasen.I have to wake up early on weekdays.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are planning a movie date.
- 陽太 Yota映画に行こう。平日は空いてる？Eiga ni ikou. Heijitsu wa aiteru?Let's go to a movie. Are you free on week days?
- 美咲 Misaki平日は仕事があるから無理だよ。Heijitsu wa shigoto ga aru kara muri dayo.I have work on week days, so I can't.
- 陽太 Yotaそうか。じゃあ週末にしよう。Sou ka. Jaa shuumatsu ni shiyou.I see. Let's do it on the weekend then.
- 美咲 Misakiうん、土曜日なら大丈夫！Un, doyōbi nara daijōbu!Yeah, Saturday works for me!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 平日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 平日, CC BY-SA 4.0.
