今日は何曜日ですか？
kyō wa nan'yōbi desu ka?
The English phrase "what day is it?" is expressed in Japanese as 今日は何曜日ですか？ (kyō wa nan'yōbi desu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask which day of the week it is. The word 何 means "what" and 曜日 translates to "day of the week".
What does it mean word for word?
The term 何曜日 (nan'yōbi) is a compound meaning "what day of the week". The suffix -yōbi is attached to the number or question word to indicate a day of the week.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
今日は何曜日ですか？ is the formal way to ask 'What day is it?' You can create an informal version, 今日は何曜日？, by dropping wa and desu ka.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 今日は何曜日ですか？, the particle wa marks kyō (today) as the topic of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
kyō wa nan'yōbi desu ka?
Did you know?
- The characters for the days of the week are based on a system imported from ancient China and derived from Indian astrology.
- The names for the days of the week in Japanese are based on the classical elements: fire, water, wood, metal, earth, sun, and moon. For example, 火曜日 (Tuesday) is 'fire day' and 水曜日 (Wednesday) is 'water day'.
- If you ask 今日は何日ですか？ instead of 今日は何曜日ですか？, you are asking for the calendar date rather than the day of the week.
Examples in context
- 今日は何曜日ですか？What day is it today?
- すみません、今日は何曜日ですか？Sumimasen, kyō wa nan'yōbi desu ka?Excuse me, what day of the week is it today?
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking about their schedule at home.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太くん、今日は何曜日ですか？Youta-kun, kyou wa nan-youbi desu ka?Youta, what day is it today?
- 陽太 Yota今日は火曜日ですよ。Kyou wa ka-youbi desu yo.Today is Tuesday.
- 陽葵 Himariあ、明日がテストの日だ！A, ashita ga tesuto no hi da!Oh, tomorrow is the test day!
- 陽太 Yota頑張ってね、陽葵ちゃん。Ganbatte ne, Himari-chan.Good luck, Himari.
