週
shū[ɕɨː]
The Japanese word for 'week' is 週 (shū). If unsure, use 週. Wiktionary also lists 週間 (shūkan).
Meaning: period of seven days (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 週 | shū | [ɕɨː] (narrow) |
| 週間 | shūkan | [ɕɨːkã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
The word 週 is used to refer to a specific week, such as this week or next week. When you want to express a duration or a length of time, such as 'for two weeks', you use the form 週間.
Which one should you use?
While 週 refers to a specific week in a calendar, 週間 functions as a counter to express a continuous period of several weeks.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify which particular week you are discussing, you can prefix 週 with certain words: use 今週 (konshū) for 'this week', 来週 (raishū) for 'next week' and 再来週 (sarai-shū) for 'the week after next'. Additionally, 先週 (senshū) is used to mean 'last week'.
How do you pronounce it?
shū
Did you know?
- While the word 週 is Japanese, the concept of a seven-day week was imported from the West and adopted into the Japanese calendar during the Meiji era.
- The word 週 shares a common ancestor with the Chinese word for 'circumference' or 'perimeter', linking the idea of a week to a completed loop.
- In modern Japanese business, the week is functionally treated as starting on Monday, yet many official calendars still list Sunday as the first day.
Examples in context
- また再来週。See you the week after next week.This sentence uses 週 to refer to the week after next week.Tatoeba #2366082 by tommy_san, translation #2394536 by fenfang557
- 来週来るの？Are you coming next week?This sentence uses 週 to ask about coming next week.Tatoeba #8764341 by bunbuku, translation #4134539 by CK
- 来週するよ。I'll do it next week.This sentence uses 週 to state an action occurring next week.Tatoeba #9671246 by small_snow, translation #9670931 by CK
- 週の計画を立てました。I made a plan for the week.
- 714 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about their work schedules.
- 結衣 Yui今週はとても忙しいです。Konshū wa totemo isogashii desu.I am very busy this week.
- 健太 Kenta健太も今週は大変だよ。Kenta mo konshū wa taihen da yo.It is tough for Kenta this week too.
- 結衣 Yui来週は休みますか？Raishū wa yasumimasu ka?Are you taking a break next week?
- 健太 Kentaはい、来週は休みます。Hai, raishū wa yasumimasu.Yes, I will be off next week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “week” translations and entries 週, 週間, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 週, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
