Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Dictionary Tools ▾
    • Furigana and Definition Lookup
    • Japanese Synonym Finder
    • Katakana Word Converter
  • Blog Posts ▾
    • Latest Posts
    • Phrases by Topic
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
    • 英語に関する記事 (in Japanese)
  • Lesson Slides ▾
    • For Complete Beginners
    • For Intermediate/Advanced Learners
  • Vocab List
  • What’s New
  • Social Media
  • About
You are here: Home / List / Ashita, Asatte, Shiasatte, Yanoasatte: 13 Japanese Words Describing Dates

Ashita, Asatte, Shiasatte, Yanoasatte: 13 Japanese Words Describing Dates

July 31, 2020

Compared to English, Japanese has a variety of words that indicate a few days before and after today. This article presents a comprehensive list of those words as well as relevant expressions to them!

Table of Contents

  • 1. Words for the Future
    • 1. 明日 (あした, ashita): tomorrow
    • 2. 明後日 (あさって, asatte): two days after today
    • 3. 明々後日 (しあさって, asatte) three days after today
    • 4. やのあさって (yanoasatte): four days after today
  • 2. Words for the Past
    • 1. 昨日 (きのう, kinou/さくじつ, sakujitsu): yesterday
    • 2. 一昨日 (おととい, ototoi/おとつい, otostui): two days before today
    • 3. 一昨昨日 (さきおととい, sakiototoi): three days before today
  • 3. Present
    • 1. 今日 (きょう, kyou): today
    • 2. 今日 (こんにち, konnichi): today, nowadays, these days, at the present time
    • 3. 本日 (ほんじつ, honjitsu): today
    • 4. 昨今 (さっこん, sakkon): nowadays, these days, recent years
    • 5. 今時 (いまどき, imadoki): recent(ly), nowadays, today
    • 6. 今日日 (きょうび, kyoubi)
  • Related Expression 1 “おととい来い・来やがれ”
  • Related Expression 2 “明後日の方向”

1. Words for the Future

1. 明日 (あした, ashita): tomorrow

2. 明後日 (あさって, asatte): two days after today

* See also the related word “明後日の方向” described at the bottom.

3. 明々後日 (しあさって, asatte) three days after today

4. やのあさって (yanoasatte): four days after today

Note that the last word “やのあさって” is not a common word, and in some dialects, different words are used.

2. Words for the Past

1. 昨日 (きのう, kinou/さくじつ, sakujitsu): yesterday

昨日 has two different readings “きのう” and “さくじつ”; the former is more common, and the latter is usually used in writing.

2. 一昨日 (おととい, ototoi/おとつい, otostui): two days before today

* See also the related word “おととい来やがれ” described at the bottom.

3. 一昨昨日 (さきおととい, sakiototoi): three days before today

Note that the last word “一昨昨日” is rarely used.

3. Present

1. 今日 (きょう, kyou): today

2. 今日 (こんにち, konnichi): today, nowadays, these days, at the present time

As in 昨日(きのう/さくじつ), 今日 has two readings: “きょう (kyou)” and “こんにち (konnich)”, with the former much more common. The latter reading is often used in writing and describes not only “today”, but also “nowadays”, “these days” and “the present time”.

(e.g.) ソーシャルメディアが盛んとなった今日(こんにち)では、様々な情報を無料で得ることができる。

At the present time when social media has become prevalent, we can obtain various information for free.

(Trivia) The Japanese greeting “こんにちは”, which is usually written in hiragana, can also be written as “今日は” in kanji, although it’s rarely used. It is said to be an abbreviation of “今日はご機嫌いかがですか” (How are you today?) or something similar.

3. 本日 (ほんじつ, honjitsu): today

本日 is often used in a formal context, e.g., when you announce today’s opening hours of your shop, or when you show gratitude to people for attending your gathering.

(e.g.)
本日の営業時間は19時までとなります。

Today‘s opening hour is until 7 pm.

本日はお集まりいただき、誠にありがとうございました
I sincerely thank you all for coming here today.

4. 昨今 (さっこん, sakkon): nowadays, these days, recent years

昨今 is a formal word that means “nowadays” and “recent time”. It is a synonym of 今日 (こんにち), and they are mostly interchangeable; the small difference is that while 今日 (こんにち) roughly describes the present time, 昨今 rather describes a recent period of time, including the recent past.

昨今の金融市場についてどうお考えですか?
What do you think about the recent financial markets?

5. 今時 (いまどき, imadoki): recent(ly), nowadays, today

今時 usually describes recent trends and atmosphere in comparison to the past. In particular, it is often used to describe young people from older people’s perspective. It is also used when you indicate that something too old-fashioned and very rare.

今時の若者はちゃんと敬語が使えない
Today‘s young people cannot use keigo (honorific speech) properly.

今時、スマホ持ってない人なんているの?
Is there actually anyone today who doesn’t have a smartphone?

今時、Netflixを知らないなんてやばいよ
It’s so crazy that you don’t know Netflix at the present time.

(Note) As in the following sentence, 今時 is also used to describe something trendy, but despite its meaning, this usage rather sounds old-fashioned (to my ears).

今時のお洒落なカフェに昨日行ってきた!
I went to a trendy, fashionable café yesterday.

6. 今日日 (きょうび, kyoubi)

今日日 is a slightly old-fashioned word, but it is still used especially in the Kansai region. It is a synonym of 今時 and often used when you emphasise that something is unusual at the present time.

今日日、ノートパソコン使ったことない大学生なんておらんやろ

Today (At this present time), there won’t be anyone who hasn’t used a laptop.

今日日、「めんご」なんて言う人はいない

Today, there is noone who says “mengo”.

(めんご (mengo): an old-fashioned word for ごめん (gomen) meaning “sorry”; See ザギンでシースー: Japanese “Reverse” Slang Words From 1980s)

Related Expression 1 “おととい来い・来やがれ”

おととい来い (ototoi koi) or おととい来やがれ (ototoi kiyagare) literally means “Come here two days ago”, and it figuratively means “Don’t come here again” in a furious tone. One of the theories about its origin relates it to the fact that it is no longer possible to come here two days ago. Note that this is an old-fashioned phrase which you may see only in Anime/Manga.

Related Expression 2 “明後日の方向”

Literally, 明後日の方向 (あさってのほうこう, asatteno.houkou) means “the direction of the day after tomorrow”. This idiom metaphorically indicates in an ironic manner that something goes in the completely wrong and unpredictable direction. See the post below for more explanations:

明後日の方向 (asattenohoukou): “Direction of Day After Tomorrow”

 

Filed Under: List, There's a word for it

Related Posts

  • 20 Japanese Words For Rain

    20 Japanese Words For Rain

  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases

    9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases

  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji

    凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji

  • 遠慮の塊 (Enryo no katamari): “Hesitation Lump” in Kansai-ben Slang

  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food

    30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food

Featured Posts:

  • Japanese Conversation Practice to Master 気-related Idioms
  • “Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 40 Ways of Saying "Many" in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More...)
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Popular Posts:

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means More Than “Anyway”
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • Meaning of 相合傘 (ai ai gasa): Lovely Dream of Japanese Kids
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ブログランキング・にほんブログ村へPVアクセスランキング にほんブログ村

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Trending Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • 5 Meanings of 気 (ki) and 30 気-related Japanese Phrases
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 50 Japanese Words and Idioms about Love & Relationship
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning ‘Go-Home Club’
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • List of Confusing “Japlish/Janglish” (Japanese English)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • What’s 合コン (gōkon) and 街コン (machikon) in Japanese
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • List of 50+ Japanese Words to Describe Personality
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • 20 Japanese Twitter Slang Words in 2010s/2020s
  • ヤンキー (yankee) Means “(Old-Fashioned) Loutish Youths” in Japanese

Popular Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Meaning of Kenja Time (賢者タイム, kenjataimu) in Japanese Slang
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”

Words by Theme

  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 40 Funny Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound like Oyaji (Old Men)

Idiom

  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”
  • How The Japanese Word 神 (Kami, ‘God’) Is Used Metaphorically
  • Japanese Idiom “Put on a Cat”, 猫をかぶる (neko wo kaburu)

Japlish

  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)

Slang

  • 女たらし (onna tarashi) Meaning ‘Lady’s Man’ in Japanese
  • Toka, Kana, Kamo: Japanese Vague Expressions
  • Japanese “活 Words”: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu)

Column

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • イチロー (Ichiro): What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans
  • Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

Grammar

  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference

日本語記事

  • 韻を踏むお茶目な英語表現、単語、フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • 頭に情景が浮かぶ面白い英語フレーズ、イディオム30+
  • many, much, a lot ofの類語、 言い換え英語表現50+の使い分け
  • 直訳すると変な英語表現、イディオム12
  • 「開き直る」の2つの意味と英訳

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved