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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "weekend" in Japanese?
週末
shuumatsu
In Japanese, "weekend" is 週末 (shuumatsu).
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Pronunciation
Shuumatsu holds a long u at the start, shuu, before finishing on matsu, so don't rush past that opening vowel.
Writing and usage
週末 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
週末は家でくつろいでいます。
shuumatsu ha ie dekutsuroideimasu.
We relax at home on the weekend.
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How to remember 週末
Shuumatsu ends in 'matsu', which sounds like 'mots' — the weekend is when your to-do list finally 'stops' mattering.
Related words
- decade 10年 10 nen
- century 世紀 seiki
- era 時代 jidai
- millennium ミレニアム mireniamu
- weekday 平日 heijitsu
- holiday 休暇 kyuuka
- deadline 締め切り shimekiri
- schedule スケジュール sukejuuru
- appointment 予約 yoyaku
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 週末
How do you pronounce 週末?
Shuumatsu holds a long u at the start, shuu, before finishing on matsu, so don't rush past that opening vowel.
Is 週末 formal or casual?
週末 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 週末 written in Japanese?
週末 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shuumatsu.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Weekend" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.
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