How to Ask What Day Is It Today in Japanese

Want to ask “What day is it today?” in Japanese without sounding like a confused calendar app? Good news: this one is useful, common, and pleasantly straightforward once you know the key word.

In Japanese, dates can feel a little sneaky at first. The month is one thing, the day of the month is another, and the day of the week is its own separate beast. So when someone asks what day it is, the real question is often: do they mean Monday, or do they mean the 12th? Japanese handles that distinction very clearly, which is honestly pretty kind of it.

If you are also learning basic date words, this guide pairs nicely with days of the week in Japanese. For more beginner-friendly lessons, head over to the Japanese learning hub.

The Main Phrase You Need

今日は何曜日ですか。
Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
What day is it today?

This is the standard, polite way to ask for the day of the week.

Let’s break it down:

Put together, it literally works like: “As for today, what day of the week is it?” Very Japanese. Very tidy.

Useful Words You Will Hear Right Away

What Day Is It Today Vs. What Is Today’s Date

This is the main confusion point, and honestly, it gets almost everyone at first.

今日は何曜日ですか。
Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
What day is it today?
This asks for the day of the week, like Monday or Thursday.

今日は何日ですか。
Kyō wa nan-nichi desu ka.
What is today’s date?
This asks for the day of the month, like the 5th or the 21st.

If you want Monday, use 何曜日 (nan-yōbi). If you want the 14th, use 何日 (nan-nichi). Tiny difference, huge change in meaning.

Common Ways To Ask The Same Thing

For most learners, 今日は何曜日ですか is the sweet spot. It is natural, polite, and not weirdly stiff.

How To Answer The Question

Once someone asks, the answer is simple:

今日は月曜日です。
Kyō wa getsu-yōbi desu.
Today is Monday.

Just swap in the day you need.

Real-Life Sentences You Can Actually Use

Here are useful phrases built around asking and answering the day. These are the kinds of lines that come up in class, at work, while planning, or during those strange moments when the week has completely stopped making sense.

A Fast Pattern You Can Reuse

Japanese makes this pretty easy once you spot the pattern:

今日は ＋ 曜日 ＋ です
Kyō wa + yōbi + desu
Today is + day of the week

Examples:

• 今日は月曜日です。
  Kyō wa getsu-yōbi desu.
  Today is Monday.
• 今日は火曜日です。
  Kyō wa ka-yōbi desu.
  Today is Tuesday.
• 今日は日曜日です。
  Kyō wa nichi-yōbi desu.
  Today is Sunday.

To turn it into a question, replace the day with 何曜日.

今日は何曜日ですか。
Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
What day is it today?

Days Of The Week In Japanese

If you are asking what day it is, you also need the actual answers. Tragic but true.

Useful Time Words That Pair Well With This

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

• Wrong idea: using 何日 when you want Monday, Tuesday, and so on.
  Fix: use 何曜日 for days of the week.
  今日は何曜日ですか。
  Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
  What day is it today?
• Wrong idea: dropping 曜日 and saying just 何 in this pattern.
  Fix: say 何曜日 clearly.
  今日は何曜日ですか。
  Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
  What day is it today?
• Wrong idea: saying the days but forgetting pronunciation chunks.
  Fix: learn them as full words: げつようび, かようび, すいようび, and so on.
• Wrong idea: making everything super formal in casual conversation.
  Fix: with friends, 今日、何曜日？ sounds natural.
  Kyō, nan-yōbi?
  What day is it today?

Mini Practice

Try reading these out loud. Yes, out loud. Silent studying feels productive, but your mouth needs rehearsal too.

• 今日は何曜日ですか。
  Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
  What day is it today?
• 今日は水曜日です。
  Kyō wa sui-yōbi desu.
  Today is Wednesday.
• 明日は何曜日ですか。
  Ashita wa nan-yōbi desu ka.
  What day is tomorrow?
• 昨日は金曜日でした。
  Kinō wa kin-yōbi deshita.
  Yesterday was Friday.
• 毎週土曜日に日本語を勉強します。
  Maishū do-yōbi ni Nihongo o benkyō shimasu.
  I study Japanese every Saturday.

Quick Reference

The key phrase to remember is 今日は何曜日ですか — Kyō wa nan-yōbi desu ka — “What day is it today?” Once that clicks, the rest is mostly swapping in the correct weekday and not accidentally asking for the date instead. Which, to be fair, is a very easy mistake to make when your brain is running on pure Tuesday energy.

Learn this phrase, learn the seven weekday names, and suddenly a lot of everyday Japanese gets easier. Small win, but a solid one.