明日あした

also: あす · みょうにち

あ

し

た

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

noun, adverb

tomorrow

The day after today. Used as both a noun and an adverb. あした is the default everyday reading; あす is slightly more formal; みょうにち is formal.

明日あしたは休やすみです。
Tomorrow is a day off.
明日あした、映えい画がを見みに行いきませんか。
Would you like to go see a movie tomorrow?

2

noun, adverb

near future

Only with reading あす

Used with the reading あす to refer to the immediate future in a slightly abstract or poetic way. Not used with あした or みょうにち for this sense.

あすの日本にほんを担になう若わか者ものたち。
The young people who will carry Japan's near future.

Written forms

明日Usage92%
- あした
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
  Most common reading in everyday speech. The kanji spelling is standard.
- あす
  gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
  Slightly more formal or literary than あした. Also used in fixed expressions and forecasts.
- みょうにち
  Formal reading, common in business, official announcements, and written schedules.
あしたUsage5%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
あすUsage3%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
アシタUsage<1%
みょうにち

Kanji

明bright, light
日day, sun, Japan

Similar words

翌よく日じつ
Means 'the next day' and is more formal and narrative. 明日 is deictic (relative to today), while 翌日 is relative to a reference point in the past or future.
本ほん日じつ
Formal equivalent of 今日 (today). Pairs with みょうにち in formal contexts.

Etymology

The kanji 明 (bright, next) and 日 (day) combine to mean 'the next day'. The readings あした and あす are native Japanese words; みょうにち is a Sino-Japanese reading.