1.
one day (duration)
A period of 24 hours or one full day.
2.
all day, the whole day
Throughout an entire day from morning to night.
一日 refers to a period of one day or, with 中, means 'all day long.'
READING NOTE:
When meaning 'the first day of the month,' this word is read 一日, not いちにち.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 一日中: all day long
- 一日で: in one day
- 一日に~回: ~ times per day
DURATION COUNTING:
For counting days as a duration, Japanese uses the native number system:
- 一日: one day
- 二日間: two days
- 三日間: three days
The suffix 間 is optional for 一日 but typically added for other counts (二日間, 三日間).