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Teach Us, Teacher

How to say the days of the month (Lesson 27)

In Japanese, "the first day" of a month is TSUITACHI. Originally, it meant the day when the moon rises. From the second to the tenth day, we say as follows:

the 2nd day: FUTSUKA
the 3rd day: MIKKA
the 4th day: YOKKA
the 5th day: ITSUKA
the 6th day: MUIKA
the 7th day: NANOKA
the 8th day: YÔKA
the 9th day: KOKONOKA
the 10th day: TÔKA

As I explained in Lesson 7, these words are the remnants of the ancient ways of counting numbers in Japan.

For the 11th day to the end of a month, we say the corresponding numbers and add NICHI, which means “a day.” So, for example, "the 11th day" is JÛICHINICHI.

There are three exceptions. "The 14th day" is JÛYOKKA. "The 20th day" is HATSUKA, and "the 24th day" is NIJÛYOKKA.

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