Welcome back to Simply Korea 101!
In Chapter 5, we learned how to tell time in Korean.
Now let’s take the next step and learn how to talk about days and dates.
Knowing the days of the week and dates is essential when making plans, booking activities, checking schedules, or simply talking about your week.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to ask what day it is, talk about your plans, and say a date in Korean.
📅 The 7 Days of the Week in Korean
Korean days of the week are very logical once you recognize the pattern.
Each day ends with 요일, which means “day of the week.”
일요일
il-yo-il
Sunday
월요일
wo-ryo-il
Monday
화요일
hwa-yo-il
Tuesday
수요일
su-yo-il
Wednesday
목요일
mo-gyo-il
Thursday
금요일
geum-yo-il
Friday
토요일
to-yo-il
Saturday
💡 Easy memory trick
The first syllable of each day comes from the traditional names associated with the sun, moon, fire, water, wood, metal, and earth.
일 → 월 → 화 → 수 → 목 → 금 → 토
→ Sun → Moon → Fire → Water → Wood → Metal → Earth
Once you memorize this sequence, the Korean days of the week become much easier.
🗓️ 5 Useful Korean Date Words & Expressions
① 오늘 — Today
오늘
Pronunciation: oneul
English: today
Use 오늘 when talking about the current day.
Example
오늘은 토요일이에요.
→ Today is Saturday.
② 내일 — Tomorrow
내일
Pronunciation: naeil
English: tomorrow
Use 내일 when talking about the following day.
Example
내일은 일요일이에요.
→ Tomorrow is Sunday.
③ 이번 주 — This week
이번 주
Pronunciation: ibeon ju
English: this week
이번 means “this” or “this current one,” while 주 means “week.”
Example
이번 주에 바빠요.
→ I’m busy this week.
④ 다음 주 — Next week
다음 주
Pronunciation: daeum ju
English: next week
Use 다음 주 when talking about the week after this one.
Example
다음 주에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet next week.
⑤ 날짜 — Date
날짜
Pronunciation: naljja
English: date
Use 날짜 when talking about a specific calendar date.
Example
날짜가 언제예요?
→ What is the date?
💬 5 Practical Korean Conversation Phrases
① 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요? — What day is it today?
오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?
Pronunciation: oneureun museun yoirieyo?
English: What day is it today?
This is a natural and polite way to ask what day of the week it is.
Example
A: 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?
→ What day is it today?
B: 오늘은 수요일이에요.
→ It’s Wednesday today.
② 내일은 무슨 요일이에요? — What day is it tomorrow?
내일은 무슨 요일이에요?
Pronunciation: naireun museun yoirieyo?
English: What day is it tomorrow?
This is useful when checking your schedule for the next day.
Example
내일은 무슨 요일이에요?
→ What day is it tomorrow?
내일은 목요일이에요.
→ Tomorrow is Thursday.
③ 이번 주에 뭐 해요? — What are you doing this week?
이번 주에 뭐 해요?
Pronunciation: ibeon jue mwo haeyo?
English: What are you doing this week?
This is a casual and natural way to ask about someone’s plans.
Example
이번 주에 뭐 해요?
→ What are you doing this week?
친구를 만나고 영화를 봐요.
→ I’m meeting a friend and watching a movie.
④ 언제 만날 수 있어요? — When can we meet?
언제 만날 수 있어요?
Pronunciation: eonje mannal su isseoyo?
English: When can we meet?
This phrase is especially useful when making plans.
You can answer with a day:
금요일에 만날 수 있어요.
→ I can meet on Friday.
Or a more specific time:
금요일 오후에 만날 수 있어요.
→ I can meet Friday afternoon.
⑤ 며칠 후에 여행을 가요. — I’m going on a trip in a few days.
며칠 후에 여행을 가요.
Pronunciation: myeochil hue yeohaengeul gayo
English: I’m going on a trip in a few days.
며칠 후 means “in a few days.”
This is useful when talking about upcoming plans.
Example
사흘 후에 떠나요.
→ I’m leaving in three days.
🗓️ How to Say Dates in Korean
Here’s one very important rule:
Korean dates are normally expressed in this order:
Year → Month → Day
For example:
2026년 8월 22일
2026 nyeon 8 wol 22 il
→ August 22, 2026
Literally:
2026년 → 2026 year
8월 → August
22일 → 22nd day
This order may feel different if you’re used to saying the month first in English.
But once you get used to 년 → 월 → 일, it becomes very straightforward.
🔢 Important Number Tip
When saying dates in Korean, Sino-Korean numbers are used.
For example:
2026년
→ 이천이십육 년(icheon-isip-yuk nyeon)
8월
→ 팔월(pal-wol)
22일
→ 이십이 일(isip-i il)
This is different from telling the hour, where Korean native numbers are commonly used:
세 시(se si)
→ 3 o’clock
But:
삼일(sam-il)
→ 3rd day
This difference is important for beginners.
💬 Mini Conversation
Let’s make a plan!
A: 오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?
→ What day is it today?
B: 오늘은 금요일이에요.
→ It’s Friday today.
A: 이번 주에 뭐 해요?
→ What are you doing this week?
B: 친구를 만나고 쇼핑을 해요.
→ I’m meeting a friend and going shopping.
A: 언제 만날 수 있어요?
→ When can we meet?
B: 토요일 오후에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet Saturday afternoon.
A: 좋아요!
→ Sounds good!
Korean Tip: 에 With Days and Dates
You’ll often see 에 after a day, date, or time when talking about when something happens.
월요일에
→ on Monday
8월 22일에
→ on August 22
오후 2시에
→ at 2 p.m.
For example:
월요일에 학교에 가요.
→ I go to school on Monday.
8월 22일에 여행을 가요.
→ I’m going on a trip on August 22.
This little particle is one of the most useful building blocks for talking about schedules.
🗣️ Read Aloud & Repeat
일요일
iryoil
Sunday
월요일
woryoil
Monday
화요일
hwayoil
Tuesday
수요일
suyoil
Wednesday
목요일
mogyoil
Thursday
금요일
geumyoil
Friday
토요일
toyoil
Saturday
오늘은 무슨 요일이에요?
oneureun museun yoirieyo?
What day is it today?
이번 주에 뭐 해요?
ibeon jue mwo haeyo?
What are you doing this week?
언제 만날 수 있어요?
eonje mannal su isseoyo?
When can we meet?
토요일 오후에 만나요.
toyoil ohu-e mannayo.
Let’s meet Saturday afternoon.
2026년 8월 22일
icheonsibinyug-nyeon pal-wol isibi-il
August 22, 2026
Try saying each expression three times.
Click, listen, read aloud, and repeat.
🎯 Today’s Korean Challenge
Can you say these dates in Korean?
1. December 25, 2026
→ 2026년 12월 25일
2. January 1, 2027
→ 2027년 1월 1일
3. September 10, 2026
→ 2026년 9월 10일
Now make your own sentence:
______에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet on ______.
For example:
토요일에 만나요.
→ Let’s meet on Saturday.
🌸 One Small Step
Once you know numbers, time, days, and dates, you can start making real plans in Korean.
You can ask what day it is, suggest a meeting day, talk about your schedule, and understand Korean calendars and reservations more easily.
Don’t try to memorize every day and date at once.
Start with the seven days of the week.
Then add dates and real plans from your own life.
That’s the fastest way to turn vocabulary into useful Korean.
See You in Chapter 7!
In Chapter 7, we’ll keep building your everyday Korean with another practical topic that you can use in real conversations in Korea.
Keep practicing, one phrase at a time.
See you in Chapter 7!
— Ayla
Let’s discover Korea, one word, one dish, and one story at a time.