日

• Pinyin: rì
• Hanzi breakdown: 日 = pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a centre dot

Meaning

Day; sun; date. Used in dates and as a formal word for day or the sun.

In everyday speech, 天 is more commonly used for 'day,' but 日 appears in dates (三月五日 = March 5th), formal writing, and compounds like 日期 (date), 日记 (diary), 生日 (birthday), and 日本 (Japan). Also means the sun in literary or classical contexts.

Examples

1. 今天是三月二十日。 Today is March 20th.
2. 你的生日是哪一天？ Which day is your birthday?
3. 他每日都去跑步。 He goes running every day.

Usage Guide

Context: time, dates

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 今天是十月一日。(Today is October 1st.)
• 你哪天生日？(When is your birthday?)

Don't Say

• 明日见。(Overly literary for casual speech — say 明天见 for 'see you tomorrow' in daily conversation)

Origin & History

One of the oldest pictographs — originally a circle with a dot in the centre representing the sun.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal