日: the kanji for day, sun and Japan
You will see 日 on day one of learning Japanese: in 日本 (Japan), in every day of the week, and in the date on every email.
Stroke order
日 is written in 4 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
日 has four readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 26 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
ニチ (nichi)
On reading. In some words it shortens: nit- in 日程, nik- in 日記, and ni- in 日本.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 日時にちじ · nichiji | date and time |
| 毎日まいにち · mainichi | every day |
| 日曜日にちようび · nichiyōbi | Sunday |
| 日本にほん · Nihon | Japan (also read Nippon) |
| 日本語にほんご · Nihongo | Japanese (the language) |
| 日程にってい · nittei | schedule, itinerary |
| 日記にっき · nikki | diary |
| 一日中いちにちじゅう · ichinichijū | all day long |
ジツ (jitsu)
On reading. Many of these words are common in business Japanese.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 平日へいじつ · heijitsu | weekday |
| 休日きゅうじつ · kyūjitsu | day off, holiday |
| 祝日しゅくじつ · shukujitsu | national holiday |
| 本日ほんじつ · honjitsu | today (formal) |
| 先日せんじつ · senjitsu | the other day |
| 前日ぜんじつ · zenjitsu | the day before |
| 翌日よくじつ · yokujitsu | the next day |
| 当日とうじつ · tōjitsu | on the day (of an event) |
| 後日ごじつ · gojitsu | at a later date |
| 期日きじつ · kijitsu | due date, deadline |
ひ (hi)
Kun reading. At the end of a word it often becomes び (bi).
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 日帰りひがえり · higaeri | day trip |
| 日付ひづけ · hizuke | date (written on a document) |
| 月曜日げつようび · getsuyōbi | Monday |
| 誕生日たんじょうび · tanjōbi | birthday |
か (ka)
Kun reading, used for dates and for counting days.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 三日みっか · mikka | the 3rd of the month; three days |
| 四日よっか · yokka | the 4th of the month; four days |
| 八日ようか · yōka | the 8th of the month; eight days |
| 十日とおか · tōka | the 10th of the month; ten days |
Special readings to learn as whole words
These words use 日, but their readings do not follow the readings above. The Jōyō Kanji Table lists them as special readings. Learn each one as a whole word.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 今日きょう · kyō | today |
| 明日あす · asu | tomorrow |
| 昨日きのう · kinō | yesterday |
| 一日ついたち · tsuitachi | the 1st of the month |
| 二日ふつか · futsuka | the 2nd of the month; two days |
| 二十日はつか · hatsuka | the 20th of the month; twenty days |
| 日和ひより · hiyori | weather; a good day (for something) |
The Jōyō Kanji Table lists あす (asu) for 明日. In everyday conversation, most people say あした (ashita). The example sentences below use ashita.
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 今日は会議があります。Kyō wa kaigi ga arimasu.I have a meeting today.
- 明日の予定を確認します。Ashita no yotei o kakunin shimasu.I'll check tomorrow's schedule.
- 平日は毎日、日本語を勉強しています。Heijitsu wa mainichi, Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.I study Japanese every weekday.
- 日程を調整させてください。Nittei o chōsei sasete kudasai.Let me work out the schedule.
- 本日はお忙しいところ、ありがとうございます。Honjitsu wa o-isogashii tokoro, arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you for making time for us today.
- 詳細は後日ご連絡します。Shōsai wa gojitsu go-renraku shimasu.We'll send you the details at a later date.
- 締め切りは来月の十日です。Shimekiri wa raigetsu no tōka desu.The deadline is the 10th of next month.
- 日曜日は休みです。Nichiyōbi wa yasumi desu.I'm off on Sundays.
Questions about 日
How many strokes does 日 have?
日 is written in 4 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 日?
The on readings are nichi (ニチ) and jitsu (ジツ). The kun readings are hi (ひ) and ka (か). It also has special readings, such as kyō (今日, today), asu (明日, tomorrow), kinō (昨日, yesterday) and tsuitachi (一日, the 1st of the month).
Is 日本 read Nihon or Nippon?
Both readings are used for the name of Japan. This page uses Nihon.
What is a formal way to say "today" at work?
Use 本日 (honjitsu). It appears in business emails, announcements and formal greetings in place of 今日 (kyō).
What JLPT level is 日?
N5. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N5 is designed to match the former Level 4.
More JLPT N5 kanji
Days and time
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 日
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.