how to say the seven Days of the Week in Korean ?

The Korean word for days of the week is 요일 (yo-il). To say all Korean days of the week, all you have to do is memorize "wol-hwa-su-mok-geum-to-il”( 월-화-수-목-금-토-일 ) and add “요일”(yo-il) at the end.

Here's the structure

월/화/수/목/금/토/일(wol-hwa-su-mok-geum-to-il) + 요일(yo-il)

If you want to know how to say the first days of the workweek i.e. Monday in Korean, it's 월요일.(월(wol) + 요일 (yo-il).Here is how to say Monday to Sunday in Korean (all seven days of the week in Korean )

  • Monday in korean - 월요일( wol-yo-il) – 월(wol) + 요일 (yo-il)
  • Tuesday in korean - 화요일(hwa-yo-il) – 화 (hwa) + 요일(yo-il)
  • Wednesday in korean–    수요일(su-yo-il) – 수(su) + 요일 (yo-il)
  • Thursday in korean–     목요일(mok-yo-il) – 목(mok) + 요일(yo-il)
  • Friday in korean –        금요일(geum-yo-il) – 금(geum) + 요일 (yo-il)
  • Saturday in korean-      토요일(to-yo-il)– 토(to) + 요일(yo-il)
  • Sunday in korean - 일요일 (il-yo-il)– 일(il)+ 요일 (yo-il)

Korean Days Of The Week Meaning: The Secret Behind Each Day Of The Week.

The meaning of the days of the week in Korean is based on the five elements of nature in Chinese culture(fire, water, wood, gold, earth) plus the moon and sun. Monday means moon, Tuesday means fire, Wednesday & Thursday means water and wood, Friday represents gold, while Saturday and Sunday each represent land(soil) and Day.

Here is the complete list of hanja of 7 days of the week with its meanings, hanja, and pronunciation.

  • Monday means -월 (wol) means “moon” and the Hanja is 月
  • Tuesday means- (hwa) means “fire” and the Hanja is 火
  • Wednesday means- (su) means “water”  and the Hanja is 水
  • Thursday means- 목 (mok)  means  “wood “ and the Hanja is 木
  • Friday means – 금 (geum) means “gold “and the Hanja is 金
  • Saturday means – 토 (tho)  means “earth” and the Hanja is 土
  • Sunday means – 일 (il)  means “sun” and the Hanja is 日

Well, apparently it’s a historical thing.

and What’s really interesting is that Korean days of the week are named after some Chinese characters (based on Chinese astrology, which is just plain old weird). So naturally, each of these words has a meaning! 

important tips

In Korean, you cannot use these Korean words “wol-hwa-su-mok-geum-to-il” (월화수목금토일) on their own like

Sunday in Korean is 일요일. But 일 can also mean the sun and the day. So to say “sun in korean” you should use태양 (tae-yang) not 일(il).

How To Ask A Question About Korean Days Of The Week (& Answer It)?

Congrats! Now you can say Korean days of the week. why not try to ask about it  

Here is how 

Let’s make some simple sentences 

Asking for days of the week formally

  • What day is it today?

오늘 무슨 요일이에요?

  • Today is thursday

오늘은 목요일이에요.oneureun mogyoirieyo

Asking for days of the week in Korean in a causal way( talking with close friends or younger than you)

  • What day is it tomorrow?

내일 무슨 요일이야?naeil museun yoiriya

  • Tomorrow is friday.

내일은 금요일이야.naeileun geumyoiriya

  • What day is July 4th? 

7월 4일이 무슨 요일입니까?-chil wol sa iri museun yoirimnikka?

  • July 4th is monday.

7월 4일은 월요일입니다.- chil wol sa ireun woryoirimnida

How Do You Say Today In Korean?

The basic way to say today in Korean 오늘 [oh-neul].but the words 금일 (geumil), 요즘 (yojeum), and 오늘날 (one ullal) also mean the today in Korean.

however, it depends on the meaning you want to express like 

The word “요즘 (yojeum)” literally means “present day,” but When talking about the present vs. the past, it is usually used as “today”. Just Use it as an adverb or noun, and place it at the beginning of a sentence.

Sample Sentences Using Today in Korean

• Today is Tuesday, right?

오늘이 화요일 맞지? – oneuri hwayoil matjji

• What did you do today?

오늘뭐했어? – oh-neul mwo haesso?

• I just got paid today. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.

난 오늘 월급받았어. 오늘 저녁은 내가 살게.

nan oneul wolkkeupppadasso. oneul jonyogeun naega salge

• Are you busy today?

오늘 바쁘세요?- oneul bappeuseyo

How To Say Tomorrow In Korean Language?

Here is how to say “Tomorrow” in Korean, which is 내일 (naeil). But sometimes Koreans also use two other words i.e. 장래 (jangnae) and 명일 (myeongil). 

내일 (naeil) and 명일 (myeongil) are the same. The only difference is that 명일 (myeongil) comes from China and is rarely used in everyday conversation (used for official and academic purposes)

Now let’s make some simple sentences

• Tomorrow is Friday.

내일은 금요일이에요-naeireun geumyoirieyo

• I have a piano lesson tomorrow.

난 내일 피아노 교습이 있어. – nan naeil piano gyoseubi isso

• See you tomorrow

내일 보자 -naeil boja

How To Say Yesterday In Korean Language?

Yesterday is a bit difficult word to translate into Korean. 

The word 어제 (eoje), literally translated as yesterday in Korean. But there’s another way to say yesterday which is 작일 (jagil). The only difference between This word 작일 (jagil) and 어제 (eoje) is 작일 (jagil) loan word from Chinese and only used in academics.

So, Let’s dive deeper with examples, shall we?  

EXAMPLE SENTENCES

• Isn’t it cold yesterday?

어제는 춥지 않니?- eojeneun chubji anhni?

• It snowed a lot yesterday.

어제 눈이 많이 왔어요.-oje nuni mani wassoyo

How To Count Weeks In Korean ? The Correct Way

To count weeks in Korean, you first need to use the Sino Korean numbers and add 주/주일 (Chu /Chu-eel) at the end. Both 주일 or 주 mean the same thing when you’re talking about two or three weeks, but Korean people prefer to use 주 for four weeks and up. 

Here’s the structure to count weeks in Korean : 

Sino Korean numbers + 주/주일(Chu /Chu-eel)

Here is how to count weeks in Korean language with translation and pronunciation.

• one week –일주일-iljuil 

• two weeks – 이 주일 (이 주*)-  I-chu-il          

• three weeks – 삼 주일 (삼 주*) – Sam-chu-il

• four weeks -사 주 – Sa-chu-il

• five weeks – 오 주 – O-chu-il

• six weeks – 육 주 – Yuk-chu-il

• seven weeks – 칠 주 – Chil-chu-il

• eight weeks – 팔 주 – Pal-chu-il

Weekly/every week- 매주 (mae-ju)

• Weekend in Korean – 주말 (ju-mal)

• Weekday in Korean -평일 (pyeong-il)

• Once a week – 일주일에 한번(iljuire hanbon)

• twice a week-일주일에 두 번-iljuire du bon

• Once every four weeks – 4주에 한 번-sa jue han bon

• This week- 이번주 (i-beon-ju)

• Last week – 지난주 (ji-nan-ju)

• Next week – 다음주 (da-eum-ju)

• On the weekend – 주말에-jumare

• During the week – 주말 동안-jumal dongan

• The Week before last- 지지난주 (ji-ji-nan-ju)

• The Week after next week – 다다음주 (da-da-eum-ju)

• This Friday – 이번 금요일- ibon geumyoil

• Next Sunday -다음 일요일- daeum iryoil

• Monday evening -월요일 저녁-woryoil jonyok

• Friday night – 금요일 밤- geumyoil bam

• Thursday morning – 목요일 아침- mogyoil achim

• Last Tuesday – 지난 화요일-jinan hwayoil

• every Tuesday – 매주 화요일-maeju hwayoil

• Next weekend – 다음 주말-daeum jumal

The original article was published on https://fluenttongue.com/days-of-the-week-in-korean/