土曜日(どようび)

土曜日(どようび) means Saturday. The 土(ど) (earth/soil) relates to Saturn (the 'earth star' in East Asian astronomy).

Forms

• 土曜日(どようび): Saturday (full form)
• 土曜(どよう): Saturday (abbreviated)
• 土(ど): Sat (very short, in schedules)

Days of the week

• 日曜日(にちようび): Sunday (日(にち) = sun)
• 月曜日(げつようび): Monday (月(げつ) = moon)
• 火曜日(かようび): Tuesday (火(か) = fire/Mars)
• 水曜日(すいようび): Wednesday (水(すい) = water/Mercury)
• 木曜日(もくようび): Thursday (木(もく) = wood/Jupiter)
• 金曜日(きんようび): Friday (金(きん) = metal/Venus)
• 土曜日(どようび): Saturday (土(ど) = earth/Saturn)

Usage

• "on Saturday" is 土曜日(どようび)に, but the particle is routinely dropped in casual speech: 土曜日(どようび)映画(えいが)見(み)に行(い)こう
• 毎週(まいしゅう)土曜日(どようび): every Saturday
• 今度(こんど)の土曜日(どようび): this coming Saturday
• 来週(らいしゅう)の土曜日(どようび): next Saturday
• In schedules and calendars the day is written with the bare kanji: (土(ど))

For most workers and students 土曜日(どようび) is part of the weekend, but many schools and some companies still hold classes or work on some Saturdays, so it is less uniformly a day off than Sunday.
Don't confuse with 土用(どよう) (18-day seasonal periods).