Why Chinese Days of the Week Are Easier Than You Think—And the Secret Behind Sunday!

Have you ever struggled to memorize  the Spanish days like “Lunes” or “Domingo,” or the French days like “Mercredi” or “Jeudi”? If yes, Chinese will feel like a breath of fresh air to you! No complicated names and no mythology. In Chinese, all you need is the word for “week” and a quick count from one to six. And then, there’s Sunday. It breaks the pattern. Want to know why? Let’s dive into this simple yet brilliant way of talking about days of the week in Chinese!

The Days of the Week in European Languages

In  many European languages, the days of the week don’t follow any obvious pattern. They’re named after gods, celestial bodies, or ancient terms. For example, Lunes is named after the moon, and Mercredi comes from the Roman god Mercury. It’s a bit messy, and you pretty much have to memorize all of them. Many second language learners also struggle with spelling them correctly! But in Chinese, it’s much simpler!

The Days of the Week in Chinese

In Chinese, the system is clear and straightforward. Once you know the word 星期 (xīngqī), which means “week,” all you need to do is count from one to six. Seriously, that’s it!

Before we learn how to say Monday to Sunday in Chinese, why not check out the video and learn to count from one to seven first? It’ll make everything easier!

Now that you’ve got the numbers down, let’s see how they fit into the days of the week in Chinese!

• Monday – 星期一 (xīngqī yī)

• Tuesday – 星期二 (xīngqī èr)

• Wednesday – 星期三 (xīngqī sān)

• Thursday – 星期四 (xīngqī sì)

• Friday – 星期五 (xīngqī wǔ)

• Saturday – 星期六 (xīngqī liù)

Each day is basically “Weekday 1,” “Weekday 2,” and so on. It’s consistent, logical, and easy to remember. No strange names, no surprises. But you may wonder: what about Sunday? Is it 星期七?

Why Isn’t Sunday Called 星期七?

After seeing how Monday through Saturday follow a logical pattern, you might wonder: why isn’t Sunday called 星期七 (xīngqī qī)? Wouldn’t that make sense? Well, here’s where it gets interesting—Sunday is actually called 星期天 (xīngqī tiān) in Chinese!

Historical Background

Before the idea of a seven-day week came to China, there wasn’t really a similar concept. The seven-day week originally came from the ancient Babylonians, then spread through other cultures. The seven-day week is also closely linked to Judaism and the story of Genesis, with God resting on the seventh day.

As this concept entered China, it made sense to adapt the naming system. But Sunday was seen as special and was often considered the start of the week or a day of rest in many cultures. Instead of treating it like just another numbered day, the Chinese language gave it a special name to show its unique status. 

Language Habits

In English, “Sunday” comes from the Latin “Dies Solis”, meaning “Day of the Sun.” In Chinese, though, the focus is on the meaning within the week. In Chinese, the word 天 is often used in phrases that talk about time. For example, 一天 (yī tiān) means “one day,” 昨天 (zuótiān) means “yesterday,” and 明天 (míngtiān) means “tomorrow.” So it feels natural to use 天 when referring to Sunday as well. It flows better with the language habits of everyday Chinese speakers. So in English, Sunday reflects the sun’s influence. But in Chinese, the name for Sunday highlights how special it is.

星期天 vs. 星期日

In Chinese, both 星期天 and 星期日 (xīngqī rì) mean Sunday. 星期日 is the more formal, literal term, with 日 meaning “sun”. However, in daily conversation, 星期天 is more common because it feels more relaxed and natural. Think of it as the difference between saying “Sunday” and “the Lord’s Day” in English—both work, but one feels more conversational.

Learning the days of the week in Chinese shows just how simple the language can be. After reading this, you’ve probably already learned how to say all seven days of a week in Chinese! Want to learn more? Download ChineseSkill and see what else you can discover. With ChineseSkill, learning is fun, fast, and easy. Start learning Chinese, one tap at a time!