Learn to Ask about Days in Japanese!

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Course
3. Benefits of Enrolling in the Course
4. Lesson 1: Asking Questions in Japanese
   • 4.1 Basic Question Structure
   • 4.2 Days of the Week in Japanese
   • 4.3 Kanji Letters for the Days of the Week
5. How to Say the Planets in Japanese
   • 5.1 Adding "Say" to Indicate Planets
6. Asking about Today's Date
   • 6.1 What Day is Today?
   • 6.2 Answering the Question
7. Asking about the Meeting Day
   • 7.1 Vocabulary: Meeting in Japanese
   • 7.2 Asking "What Day is the Meeting?"
   • 7.3 Using Alternative Vocabulary
   • 7.4 Specifying the Next Meeting Day
8. Quiz Time: Guessing the Meaning
   • 8.1 Question: Cotechino Kurisumasu wa Nani o Be Deskah?
   • 8.2 Answer and Explanation
9. Conclusion
10. Resources

Lesson 1: Asking Questions in Japanese

Asking questions is an essential part of communication, and in this lesson, we will focus on learning how to ask questions in Japanese. Specifically, we will learn how to inquire about the days of the week and use that knowledge to ask about meeting days.

4.1 Basic Question Structure

Before we dive into the days of the week, let's familiarize ourselves with the basic question structure in Japanese. In English, we usually invert the subject and verb to form a question, such as "Is it Monday?" In Japanese, however, we simply add the question particle "ka" at the end of the sentence. For example, "Monday" becomes "Getsuyoubi ka?"

4.2 Days of the Week in Japanese

Now that we know the basic question structure, let's learn the days of the week in Japanese. The days of the week are called "youbi" in Japanese and are named from Monday to Sunday as follows:

• Monday: Getsuyoubi
• Tuesday: Kayoubi
• Wednesday: Suiyoubi
• Thursday: Mokuyoubi
• Friday: Kinyoubi
• Saturday: Doyoubi
• Sunday: Nichiyoubi

Remember that each day of the week ends with the same "youbi" syllable, and the beginning part differentiates each day.

4.3 Kanji Letters for the Days of the Week

Interestingly, the kanji letters used to write the days of the week in Japanese indicate the planets in our solar system. Let's take a closer look at each day and its corresponding planet:

• Monday (Getsuyoubi): The kanji for "moon" represents this day.
• Tuesday (Kayoubi): The kanji for "fire" represents this day, which is associated with the planet Mars.
• Wednesday (Suiyoubi): The kanji for "water" represents this day, which is associated with the planet Mercury.
• Thursday (Mokuyoubi): The kanji for "wood" represents this day, which is associated with the planet Jupiter.
• Friday (Kinyoubi): The kanji for "gold" represents this day, which is associated with the planet Venus.
• Saturday (Doyoubi): The kanji for "earth" represents this day, which is associated with the planet Saturn.
• Sunday (Nichiyoubi): The kanji for "sun" represents this day.

Please note that this is just an interesting fact, and when referring to the planets in Japanese conversation, different words are used.

By now, you should be familiar with the days of the week in Japanese and their corresponding kanji letters indicating the planets in our solar system. This knowledge will be essential when asking questions about specific days.

Stay tuned for the next section, where we will explore how to say the planets in Japanese and add them to our vocabulary.

How to Say the Planets in Japanese

Understanding how to say the planets in Japanese will not only expand your vocabulary but also help you when referring to specific days. Let's explore how to say each planet in Japanese and how to add the word "say" to indicate planets.

5.1 Adding "Say" to Indicate Planets

In Japanese, to say the names of the planets, you need to add the word "say" before the planet's name. Here are the Japanese names for each planet:

• Mars: Kasei
• Mercury: Suisei
• Jupiter: Mokusei
• Venus: Kinsei
• Saturn: Dosei

An important note: when referring to the moon in Japanese, we use the word "tsuki," not the kanji used for the day "Getsuyoubi."

Now that we know how to say the planets in Japanese, let's move on to asking about today's date.

6. Asking about Today's Date

Knowing how to ask about the current date is essential in everyday conversations. In this section, we will learn how to ask "What day is today?" in Japanese and how to answer the question.

6.1 What Day is Today?

To ask "What day is today?" in Japanese, you can use the phrase "Kyoubi wa nan youbi desu ka?" Here's the breakdown:

• Kyoubi: Today
• Nan: What
• Youbi: Day
• Desu ka?: Is it?

6.2 Answering the Question

When answering the question about today's date, you can simply mention the day of the week. For example, if today is Thursday, you would respond with "Mokuyoubi desu" to indicate it is Thursday.

Now that we know how to ask about today's date, let's move on to asking about specific events, such as meeting days.

7. Asking about the Meeting Day

In this section, we will focus on vocabulary related to meetings and how to ask about the specific day of a meeting in Japanese.

7.1 Vocabulary: Meeting in Japanese

The word for a meeting in Japanese is "kaigi." Remember this term as we will use it when asking about meeting days.

7.2 Asking "What Day is the Meeting?"

To ask "What day is the meeting?" in Japanese, you can use the phrase "Kaigi wa nan youbi desu ka?" Here's the breakdown:

• Kaigi: Meeting
• Nan: What
• Youbi: Day
• Desu ka?: Is it?

7.3 Using Alternative Vocabulary

In some cases, people use the word "kai" instead of "kaigi" when referring to a meeting. If you prefer to use this alternative vocabulary, you can ask "Kaigi no hi wa nan youbi desu ka?" to mean "What day is the meeting day?"

7.4 Specifying the Next Meeting Day

If you want to inquire about the day of the next meeting, you can use the word "sugi" meaning "next" in Japanese. For example, "Sugi no kaigi wa nan youbi desu ka?" is translated as "What day is the next meeting?"

Stay tuned for the quiz section, where we'll put your knowledge to the test!

Quiz Time: Guessing the Meaning

Now it's time for a quick quiz to test your understanding of the Japanese phrases we've learned so far. Don't worry, it's just for fun!

8.1 Question: Cotechino Kurisumasu wa Nani o Be Deskah?

Can you figure out the meaning of this question? Here's a hint: "Cotechino Kurisumasu" means "this year's Christmas" in Japanese.

Take your time and answer in your head before moving on to the next section.

8.2 Answer and Explanation