曜
weekday
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
—
Nanori
- てる
Meaning
曜 centers on the concept of a weekday, specifically the seven-day cycle named after celestial bodies. It is used almost exclusively in the names of the days of the week.
Most common words using 曜
20 of 43- 日曜にちようN3
Sunday
- 日曜日にちようびN5
Sunday
- 土曜日どようびN5
Saturday
- 金曜日きんようびN5
Friday
- 土曜どようN3
Saturday
- 月曜日げつようびN5
Monday
- 金曜きんようN3
Friday
- 月曜げつようN3
Monday
- 水曜日すいようびN5
Wednesday
- 火曜日かようびN5
Tuesday
- 木曜日もくようびN5
Thursday
- 曜日ようびN4
day of the week
- 木曜もくようN3
Thursday
- 水曜すいようN2
Wednesday
- 火曜かようN3
Tuesday
- 黒曜石こくようせき
obsidian
- 九曜くよう
Navagraha (divine personifications of the nine celestial bodies in Hindu mythology); nine luminaries
- 日曜版にちようばん
Sunday edition of a newspaper
- 何曜日なんようびN5
what day?; what day of the week?
- 七曜しちよう
the seven luminaries (sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn)
Study
Etymology
曜 combines 日 (sun, day) with 翟, which likely contributes the sound and originally referred to a type of pheasant with bright plumage, suggesting radiance. The character was adopted to represent the shining celestial bodies used to name the days of the week.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side is 日 (sun, day), and the right side 翟 looks like a bird with feathers spread. Imagine a radiant bird marking each day of the week with its bright feathers, so 曜 means weekday.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, think of a yo-yo marking each day of the week: every weekday you play with a yo-yo. Yo-yo -> ヨウ.