Meaning

Primary

One Day

Alternatives

Day One, First Day

Word Type

noun

Explanation

This word has two different meanings. One day and first day. No matter how you look at this word, those meanings make a lot of sense.

Reading

いちにち
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)
ついたち
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The first meaning is one day, and it has the same reading as the kanji you learned, so you should already know this reading.

The reading for ”first day," however, is a big old exception. It doesn’t take the on’yomi or kun’yomi readings, and has its own special (weird) readings. Here’s a mnemonic to help you remember this one:

On the first day of a new relationship you just tweet a cheesy (ついたち) line at each other. You're so in love you can't speak normally, so you just use bird calls and cheesy lines to communicate.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 一日でおわる

    to finish in a day

    一日でできる

    to be able to do something in a day

    一日でつくる

    to make something in a day

Context Sentences

ニューヨークまで一日かかる。

It takes a day to get to New York.

五月一日は「メーデー」ですよね?

May 1st is "May Day," right?

一日だけ女の子になりたいなあ。

I want to be a girl just for a day.

Kanji Composition