Why these kanji matter for real-life time
Dates, schedules, and time expressions reuse a small set of kanji constantly. If you can recognize and combine 日 月 年 時 分 週 曜 今 先 毎, you can read most calendars, appointment messages, train timetables, and basic planning notes. This chapter focuses on (1) the most frequent readings as they appear in time words, (2) how the kanji combine into high-frequency patterns, and (3) practice activities that mirror what you see in the wild.
Core combination patterns you’ll see every day
- 曜日 = day-of-week label (e.g.,
月曜日) - 毎日 = every day
- 今年 = this year
- 先週 = last week
- 今週 = this week
- 来週 = next week (extra useful even though 来 isn’t a target kanji here)
- 〜時〜分 = time on the clock (e.g.,
9時15分) - 〜年〜月〜日 = date order (e.g.,
2026年1月17日)
Kanji set (with components, frequent readings, and examples)
| Kanji | Core time meaning | Frequent readings in time words | High-frequency combinations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 日 | day / sun | にち, じつ, ひ, か | 毎日, 日曜日, 〜月〜日 |
| 月 | month / moon | げつ, がつ, つき | 月曜日, 〜月, 今月 |
| 年 | year | ねん, とし | 今年, 来年, 〜年 |
| 時 | time / hour | じ, とき | 〜時, 時間 |
| 分 | minute / part | ふん, ぷん, わ(ける) | 〜分, 分間 |
| 週 | week | しゅう | 今週, 先週, 毎週 |
| 曜 | weekday (as a label) | よう | 曜日, 月曜 |
| 今 | now / this | こん, いま | 今日, 今週, 今月 |
| 先 | previous / ahead | せん, さき | 先週, 先月, 先生 |
| 毎 | every | まい | 毎日, 毎週, 毎月 |
日 (day)
Components: 日 (sun/day box).
Frequent readings in time words: にち (dates, counters for days), ひ (day as a unit), か (number-of-days patterns).
毎日（まいにち）every day日曜日（にちようび）Sunday3日（みっか）the 3rd day of the month / three days (note: special reading)今日（きょう）today (combination: 今 + 日 in meaning, but written 今日)
月 (month)
Components: 月 (moon/month). In calendar use it usually means “month.”
Frequent readings in time words: がつ for numbered months, げつ in weekday names, つき for “month” as a standalone word.
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1月（いちがつ）January今月（こんげつ）this month月曜日（げつようび）Monday来月（らいげつ）next month
年 (year)
Components: 年 (year).
Frequent readings in time words: ねん for years and counters, とし for “year” as a word.
今年（ことし）this year来年（らいねん）next year2026年（にせんにじゅうろくねん）year 2026年末（ねんまつ）year-end
時 (hour / time)
Components: left 日 (time/daylight association), right 寺 (component). Together: “time.”
Frequent readings in time words: じ for clock hours, とき for “when/time.”
9時（くじ）9 o’clock何時（なんじ）what time時間（じかん）hours; durationその時（そのとき）at that time
分 (minute)
Components: 八 + 刀 (split/cut → “portion”). In time, it’s “minute.”
Frequent readings in time words: ふん and ぷん (sound changes depending on the number before it).
10分（じゅっぷん）10 minutes5分（ごふん）5 minutes1分（いっぷん）1 minute15分（じゅうごふん）15 minutes
Step-by-step: choosing ふん vs ぷん (practical rule of thumb)
- If the number ends in a “p/t/k” type beat,
ぷんis common:1分 3分 6分 8分 10分→いっぷん さんぷん ろっぷん はっぷん じゅっぷん. - Otherwise,
ふんis common:2分 4分 5分 7分 9分→にふん よんぷん/よんふん ごふん ななふん きゅうふん(some variation exists; focus on recognition first).
週 (week)
Components: movement road-like component (辶) + 周 (around) → “cycle/weekly.”
Frequent readings in time words: しゅう.
今週（こんしゅう）this week先週（せんしゅう）last week来週（らいしゅう）next week毎週（まいしゅう）every week
曜 (weekday label)
Components: left 日 (day), right component 翟. In practice, treat 曜 as “weekday marker.”
Frequent readings in time words: よう.
曜日（ようび）day of the week月曜（げつよう）Monday (short form often used in schedules)何曜日（なんようび）what day of the week
今 (now / this)
Components: 人-like top + 一 + 口 (component breakdown varies by analysis; focus on the whole shape).
Frequent readings in time words: こん in compounds, いま as a standalone word.
今（いま）now今日（きょう）today今週（こんしゅう）this week今月（こんげつ）this month
先 (previous / ahead)
Components: top component + 儿-like legs at the bottom (recognize the silhouette).
Frequent readings in time words: せん in “previous” time compounds, さき as “ahead/earlier.”
先週（せんしゅう）last week先月（せんげつ）last month先年（せんねん）previous year (less common than 去年, but appears)先（さき）ahead; earlier
毎 (every)
Components: looks like 母 with a different top; treat as a fixed “every” marker in schedules.
Frequent readings in time words: まい.
毎日（まいにち）every day毎週（まいしゅう）every week毎月（まいげつ）every month毎年（まいとし／まいねん）every year
How to read real schedule strings (step-by-step)
1) Dates: 〜年〜月〜日
Procedure: (a) find 年 to anchor the year, (b) then 月 for month, (c) then 日 for day-of-month.
2026年1月17日2026年= year 20261月= January17日= the 17th
2) Clock time: 〜時〜分
Procedure: (a) find 時 for the hour, (b) find 分 for minutes, (c) if 午前/午後 appears, use it as AM/PM context.
9時05分9時= 9 o’clock05分= 5 minutes
3) Week references: 今/先 + 週
Procedure: treat 週 as the unit; the kanji before it tells which week.
今週= this week先週= last week毎週= every week (repeating)
4) Days of week: (月火水木金土日) + 曜日
Pattern: 〜曜日. In compact schedules, 〜曜 is common.
月曜日Monday金曜Friday (short form)日曜日Sunday
Activities
Activity 1: Decode date strings
Convert each into an English meaning (or your native language). Then underline the unit kanji (年 月 日).
2025年12月3日2026年4月1日7月20日(no year written)11月(month only)
Extra challenge: rewrite the same information in a compact schedule style: 12/3, 4/1, etc., and then back to kanji style.
Activity 2: Match time expressions to meanings
| Expression | Meaning (choose) |
|---|---|
A. 毎日 | 1. this year |
B. 今年 | 2. last week |
C. 先週 | 3. every day |
D. 今月 | 4. this month |
E. 今週 | 5. this week |
Check yourself: A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4, E-5.
Activity 3: Write short schedule snippets (kanji selection focus)
Write 3–5 lines of a simple schedule. Use at least one item from each group: (a) a date with 年/月/日, (b) a clock time with 時/分, (c) a week reference with 今/先/毎 + 週, (d) a weekday with 曜日 or 曜.
Template you can copy:
今週：＿＿＿曜日 ＿＿時＿＿分 ＿＿＿（予定） 先週：＿＿＿ 今年：＿＿＿ 毎日：＿＿＿Model answers (for reference):
今週：月曜 9時30分 会議2026年1月17日（土） 14時00分 面接毎日 7時15分 勉強
Self-check: confirm you used the correct unit kanji: 年/月/日 for dates, 時/分 for clock time, 週 for week, and 曜(日) for weekday labels.
