What does 曜 mean in Japanese?
曜 is the day-of-the-week kanji, the one that turns 月・火・水・木・金・土・日 into weekday names.
Read ヨウ, it lives inside 曜日 (ようび, day of the week) and the seven weekdays: 月曜日 (Monday), 火曜日 (Tuesday), 水曜日 (Wednesday), and so on.
Reading
On’yomi: ヨウ (you)
Kun’yomi: —
Basic Information
| Kanji | 曜 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | day of the week |
| Stroke Count | 18 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
曜 is a specialist kanji: you meet it only in weekday vocabulary, but that vocabulary is used every single day. Each weekday reuses an element you already know (月 moon/Monday, 火 fire/Tuesday, 水 water/Wednesday), so 曜 is the fixed frame and the first kanji supplies the name. At 18 strokes it is one of the more complex N4 kanji to write; recognizing it matters more than writing it perfectly.
Common Words
- 曜日（ようび / youbi） — day of the week
- 月曜日（げつようび / getsuyoubi） — Monday
- 火曜日（かようび / kayoubi） — Tuesday
- 水曜日（すいようび / suiyoubi） — Wednesday
- 金曜日（きんようび / kinyoubi） — Friday
- 日曜日（にちようび / nichiyoubi） — Sunday
Example Sentences
-
今日は何曜日ですか。
きょうはなんようびですか。 / Kyou wa nan youbi desu ka.
What day of the week is it today?
-
月曜日から仕事が始まります。
げつようびからしごとがはじまります。 / Getsuyoubi kara shigoto ga hajimarimasu.
Work starts on Monday.
-
日曜日は家で休みます。
にちようびはいえでやすみます。 / Nichiyoubi wa ie de yasumimasu.
I rest at home on Sundays.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Memorize the question 今日は何曜日ですか (What day is it today?) as a set phrase; the answer swaps in 月曜日, 火曜日, and so on. All seven weekday words are read with ようび, so once you know 曜日 the only new part is the first kanji. To write 曜, note the structure: 日 (sun) on the left, and 羽 (feathers) over 隹 (short-tailed bird) on the right. Do not confuse 曜 with 濯 or 躍, which share the right side but differ on the left.
Summary
曜 builds the days of the week: read ヨウ, it forms 曜日 and 月曜日 through 日曜日.