Translation guide
The day of the week. In Japanese, days are named with 曜日 (ようび). Monday is 月曜日 (げつようび), often shortened to 月曜 (げつよう) in casual contexts.
Referring to Monday as a day.
Standard word for Monday. Used in formal and written contexts.
月曜日に会議があります。
There is a meeting on Monday.
Common abbreviation, used in casual speech and informal writing.
月曜、映画に行かない？
Want to go to a movie on Monday?
Single-kanji abbreviation, used in schedules, calendars, or very casual notes. Can be ambiguous (also means 'month' or 'moon').
May be confused with 'month' (月, つき) or 'moon'. Use only when context is clear.
次回は月です。
Next time is Monday.
Expressing regular occurrence on Mondays.
Literally 'every week Monday'. Standard way to say 'every Monday'.
毎週月曜日にジムに行きます。
I go to the gym every Monday.
Using は to mark Monday as the topic, implying habitual action.
月曜日はいつも忙しい。
Mondays are always busy.
Specifying a particular Monday relative to now.
This week's Monday. Note: Japanese week starts on Sunday or Monday depending on context, so clarify if needed.
今週の月曜日は休みです。
This Monday is a holiday.
Next week's Monday.
来週の月曜日にテストがあります。
There is a test next Monday.
Last week's Monday.
先週の月曜日は雨でした。
Last Monday was rainy.
In casual conversation, Japanese speakers often drop 日 (び) and say just 月曜 (げつよう). In very informal writing like texts or schedules, even just 月 (げつ) can be used.
The kanji 月 can mean 'month' (つき) or 'moon'. When abbreviating Monday to 月, context must make it clear you mean the day.