土曜日

• Reading: どようび
• Romaji: doyoubi
• Kanji breakdown: 土 (do/tsuchi) — earth, soil; 曜 (you) — day of the week; 日 (bi/nichi) — day
• Pronunciation: /do.joː.bi/

Meaning

Saturday. The first day of the weekend in Japan.

The kanji 土 means 'earth' or 'soil,' making Saturday the 'earth day.' Often shortened to 土曜 (doyou) in casual speech. Corresponds to Saturn in the celestial naming system — Saturn is called 土星 (dosei, 'earth star') in Japanese. Saturday is a popular day for outings and errands.

Examples

1. 土曜日に買い物に行きます。 I'm going shopping on Saturday.
2. 毎週土曜日はテニスをします。 I play tennis every Saturday.
3. 今度の土曜日、一緒に遊びませんか。 Do you want to hang out this Saturday?

Usage Guide

Context: weekend plans, leisure, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From the celestial naming system: 土 (earth, associated with Saturn) + 曜日 (day of the week). Saturn is called 土星 (dosei, 'earth star') in Japanese.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal