週末
shūmatsu[ɕɨːma̠t͡sɨ]
The Japanese word for weekend is 週末 (shūmatsu). Wiktionary also lists 土日 (donichi).
Meaning: break in the working week (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 週末 | shūmatsu | [ɕɨːma̠t͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 土日 | donichi | [do̞ɲ̟it͡ɕi] (narrow) |
The word refers to the break in the working week.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 週末 is composed of the characters 周, meaning cycle or circuit and 末, meaning end.
Which one should you use?
While 週末 refers to the weekend as a general concept, 土日 specifically refers to the days of Saturday and Sunday.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'this weekend', you add the prefix 今 to 週末 to form 今週末.
How do you pronounce it?
shūmatsu
Did you know?
- While 週末 means the end of the week, the character 末 also refers to the tips of tree branches. This creates a visual metaphor of the week as a tree with the weekend as its furthest extremities.
- The word 週末 uses the character 週 for 'week', which is actually a loanword concept from the Western calendar system rather than an ancient indigenous Japanese term.
- The word 土日 is composed of the characters for 'earth' and 'sun'. While it is a common way to say 'Saturday and Sunday', it literally translates to the names of those two celestial bodies.
Examples in context
- よい週末を！Have a good weekend!This sentence is useful for wishing someone a good weekend using 週末.Tatoeba #192903 by bunbuku, translation #30070 by CK
- 今週末は暇？Are you free this weekend?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is free this weekend using 週末.Tatoeba #3024516 by tommy_san, translation #58568 by CK
- 週末のプランは？What are you going to do over the weekend?This sentence is useful for asking about plans for the weekend using 週末.Tatoeba #148123 by bunbuku, translation #266436 by blay_paul
- 週末には友達と映画を見に行きます。I will go watch a movie with friends on the weekend.
- 今週末は何をしますか？休みだから一緒に遊びましょう。What will you do this weekend? Let's hang out since it's a day off.
- 来週の週末には海に行く予定がある。I have plans to go to the beach next weekend.
- 134 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are chatting at work on a Friday.
- 陽太 Yota週末は何をする予定ですか？Shūmatsu wa nani o suru yotei desu ka?What are your plans for the weekend?
- 結衣 Yui週末はゆっくり休みたいです。Shūmatsu wa yukkuri yasumitai desu.I want to relax this weekend.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね。僕もそうします。Ii desu ne. Boku mo sō shimasu.That sounds nice. I'll do the same.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さんも、良い週末を！Yōta-san mo, yoi shūmatsu o!Have a great weekend, Yota!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weekend” translations and entries 週末, 土日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
