How to write the date in Japanese - A Beginner’s Guide

When learning any language, one of the most basic things to master is reading and writing the date. It is an essential skill for booking appointments, making reservations at a restaurant or pre-ordering tickets. This is all the more important in a culture that values and is known for its punctuality. Hence, we believe that having this as one of the first matters to get a good grasp of in Japanese will yield the best returns. Without further ado, let’s proceed.

Important Kanji to Structure the Date in Japanese

To correctly write dates in Japanese, it’s essential to learn three fundamental kanji characters:

As long as a date is specified, these Kanji will be used. Therefore, it is crucial that they are mastered to the point of becoming second nature.

How Are Dates Expressed in Japanese? - Order of Dates & Western Format

Unlike the English speaking world, Japan follows a year-month-day structure. This may take some getting used to if you didn’t have prior exposure to other East Asian languages.. However, the way to express dates is comparatively direct. By placing the number behind the Kanji for year, month, and date respectively it is expressed without any caveats.

For example:

1. 2025年3月5日 → March 5, 2025

(Read as Nisen nijūgo-nen sangatsu itsuka)

Nisen nijūgo-nen (2025年) = Year 2025

Sangatsu (3月) = March

Itsuka (5日) = 5th day

2. 1999年12月31日 → December 31, 1999

(Read as Sen kyūhyaku kyūjūkyū-nen jūni-gatsu sanjūichi-nichi)

Sen kyūhyaku kyūjūkyū-nen (1999年) = Year 1999

Jūni-gatsu (12月) = December

Sanjūichi-nichi (31日) = 31st day

That said, while understanding the date is simple, the readings, especially for the first 10 days, can take some getting used to.

How to Write the Day in Japanese?

Readings of days:

Aside from the irregular readings which still follow a pattern, the other days are simple and direct to express.

How to Write the Month in Japanese?

Here are the readings for the month and year which are much more straightforward:

You can also watch this video below on Youtube by JapanesePod101 to hear the pronunciation of each month by a native speaker:

With this, you have mastered how to express dates in 西暦（せいれき）, also known as the western calendar format. However, it would also be helpful to learn about dates in the traditional format, as some documents may use it instead.

How to Write the Year in Japanese?

Traditionally, the date is based on the reign of the current emperor. Each emperor’s reign marks the beginning of a new era, and the years are counted from the first year of that era.

The current era is 令和 (Reiwa), which began in 2019. Instead of writing 2019年, you can write 令和元年 (Reiwa gan-nen). “元年” (がんねん, gan-nen) means "first year" of an era. Do note that the year starts from 1, not 0!

Since 2025 is the 7th year, it will be called: 令和7年 (Reiwa nana-nen).

Here are the main eras, i.e. the modern ones, you will come across most of the time:

• 平成 (へいせい, Heisei): 1989–2019

• 昭和 (しょうわ, Shōwa): 1926–1989

• 大正 (たいしょう, Taishō): 1912–1926

If you were born before 1989, you were born in the Shōwa (昭和) era. If you were born between 1989 and 2019, your birth year falls under the Heisei (平成) era. To write a year in the traditional system, you write the era name followed by the year number within that era and the kanji 年 (nen) for "year."

For Example:

• If you were born in 2000, your birth year is 平成12年 (Heisei 12-nen) because 2000 was the 12th year of the Heisei era.

• If you were born in 1980, your birth year is 昭和55年 (Shōwa 55-nen) because 1980 was the 55th year of the Shōwa era.

• If you were born in 1950, your birth year is 昭和25年 (Shōwa 25-nen) because 1950 was the 25th year of the Shōwa era.

It can be confusing at first, but getting used to it will improve your ability to read documents, news reports, and more academic or traditional literature in general.. We believe that it’s good general knowledge that can be applied towards better understanding the culture and their way of conducting business.

How to Write the Days of the Week in Japanese?

A fun fact about the days of the week in Japanese is that they are named after elements of nature, and they all end with 曜日(yōbi):

This is arguably the trickiest part of learning to express time and day in Japanese due to how different it is from other languages. Instead of trying to remember all 7 at once, we recommend starting from the weekends before slowly making your way through the weekdays.

If you like to listen to how the days of the week sound in Japanese, you can also check out the Youtube video below:

How to Write the Full Date (New and Traditional Way)

Reviewing what we previously went through in previous sections, you can write the full date in Japanese by using the format YYYY年MM月DD日.

For example, if we want to write 25 December, 2024, there are two ways we can write it:

Western Format

2024年12月25日 (にせんにじゅうよねん　じゅうにがつ　にじゅうごにち, Nisen nijūyon-nen jūni-gatsu nijūgo-nichi)

Traditional Format

令和6年12月25日 (れいわ　ろくねん　じゅうにがつ　にじゅうごにち, Reiwa roku-nen jūni-gatsu nijūgo-nichi)

To summarise, dates are expressed in the following structure:

• [Year] + 年 (nen) + [Month] + 月 (gatsu) + [Day] + 日 (nichi)

• Example: 2024年5月12日 → にせんにじゅうよねんごがつじゅうににち (Nisen nijūyo-nen gogatsu jūni-nichi)

Important Phrases to Talk About Dates in Japanese

When discussing dates in Japanese, it's essential to know the right phrases for everyday conversations, scheduling events, and making plans. Whether you're setting up a meeting, talking about past or future events, or simply asking for the date, understanding these key expressions will help you communicate more effectively. Here are some important phrases to confidently talk about dates in Japanese.

1. Appointments / Reservations

2. Asking / Answering Questions

FAQs

1. What is the difference between writing dates in kanji and hiragana?

Dates in Japanese are typically written using kanji, as they provide a clear and standardized format. However, when speaking or writing for beginners, hiragana may sometimes be used for clarity. For example, 3月5日 (March 5) is commonly written with kanji, but in hiragana, it could be written as さんがつ いつか (sangatsu itsuka).

2. How do I write my birthdate?

To write your birth date, follow the format YYYY年MM月DD日 (Year-Month-Day). For example, if you were born on July 20, 1995, you would write 1995年7月20日. If using the traditional era system, it would be 平成7年7月20日 (Heisei 7-nen, 7-gatsu, 20-nichi).

3. Do Japanese people use the Western calendar or the traditional era system more often?

In everyday life, the Western calendar is seeing increasing use.. However, the traditional era system can still be seen in official documents, government papers, and historical references.

4. How do I say today’s date in Japanese?

今日はｙｙ年ｍｍ月ｄｄ日です。（きょう は ｙｙねん ｍｍがつ ｄｄにち です。）

5. What should I do if I need to convert a year to the Japanese era system?

If you need to convert a year into the traditional era system, you can use an online Japanese era converter.

Conclusion

Aside from a few irregular readings for the days and a different week system, expressing date and time in Japanese may be conversely easier to learn than it would be in English. Being able to reserve a ticket, fill out a form and enquire about an event’s date is truthfully only a few steps away!

Now that you understand how to write and say dates in Japanese, try writing your birthdate or today’s date. Keep practicing, and soon it will feel just as natural as writing dates in your native language.

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