毎日の生活Daily Routine
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Tell time in Japanese, including the hour, the minute, and the half-hour.
- Name the days of the week and talk about a weekly schedule.
- Use the systematic polite verb system with ます and ません to describe habitual and planned actions.
- Mark the object of an action with を and the location of an action with で.
- Mark a specific clock time with time に and a destination with に or へ.
- Describe how often you do something using frequency expressions.
- Connect a sequence of actions using それから.
- Read and write the remaining katakana rows and the nine Chapter 7 kanji for time and days, with furigana support.
Communication Scenario
Tom has settled into his new apartment and is getting used to his weekly schedule at the exchange program. His neighbor Mrs. Tanaka asks him about his daily routine over tea, and later Tom writes a short weekly schedule to share with a study partner who wants to plan a time to meet.
- This chapter teaches you to describe a daily and weekly routine using the systematic ます form you saw in earlier chapters, now fully active for regular use.
- By the end of the chapter, you will be able to state what time you do things, on which days, how often, and in what order.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary covers time, days of the week, daily activities, and frequency.
じかん — Time
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時 | じ | o'clock (counter) |
| 分 | ふん | minute (counter) |
| 半 | はん | half (past the hour) |
| なんじ | なんじ | what time |
| あさ | あさ | morning |
| ひる | ひる | daytime; noon |
| ばん | ばん | evening |
| よる | よる | night |
ようび — Days of the week
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 月よう日 | げつようび | Monday |
| 火よう日 | かようび | Tuesday |
| 水よう日 | すいようび | Wednesday |
| 木よう日 | もくようび | Thursday |
| 金よう日 | きんようび | Friday |
| 土よう日 | どようび | Saturday |
| にちよう日 | にちようび | Sunday |
| なんようび | なんようび | what day of the week |
Note: 日 in よう日 is not yet an active reading target in this chapter; it appears with furigana support and will be studied directly in a later chapter.
まいにちのこと — Daily activities and frequency
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おきます | おきます | to get up |
| ねます | ねます | to go to sleep |
| はたらきます | はたらきます | to work |
| かえります | かえります | to go home; to return |
| シャワーをあびます | シャワーをあびます | to take a shower |
| まいあさ | まいあさ | every morning |
| まいばん | まいばん | every evening |
| ときどき | ときどき | sometimes |
| よく | よく | often |
| たいてい | たいてい | usually |
| ぜんぜん〜ません | ぜんぜん〜ません | not at all |
| それから | それから | and then; after that |
Frequency words such as よく, ときどき, and たいてい are placed before the verb phrase, similar to English. ぜんぜん is special: it must always be paired with a negative verb, as in ぜんぜんはたらきません ("I don't work at all").
Script Focus: Completing Katakana and Time/Day Kanji
カタカナ — マ行・ヤ行・ラ行・ワ行・ン
This chapter completes the katakana chart. You already know ア through ホ from Chapters 4 and 6. These final rows finish your katakana literacy.
You have now met every basic katakana symbol. ヲ is rare in ordinary katakana words; you will mainly see it in stylized or emphatic writing, since the particle を is normally written in hiragana. Continue reviewing the full chart cumulatively rather than treating any row as finished after one pass.
Unit II かんじ — Nine new kanji
These nine kanji support telling time and naming the days of the week. Furigana continues to support every kanji in this chapter's reading passages.
Several of this chapter's kanji are the same characters used in the days of the week and in unrelated everyday words, such as 水 ("water") inside 水よう日 ("Wednesday"). At this stage, learn each kanji only in the specific words presented in this chapter. Its use in other words will be introduced separately when needed.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write each remaining katakana row three times, then write the nine new kanji next to their readings from memory. Check your work against the charts above.
Pronunciation Focus
The reading of 分 ("minute") changes depending on the number before it. Say each of these aloud, tapping once per mora:
- いっぷん — 1 minute (small っ plus ぷ)
- さんぷん — 3 minutes
- よんぷん — 4 minutes
- ごふん — 5 minutes
- じゅっぷん — 10 minutes
These sound changes are lexical: they belong to the specific number-plus-counter combination, not to a rule you can apply everywhere. Practice them as fixed units, the same way you practiced numbers and counters in Chapter 9's preview material.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
7.1 なんじですか — Telling time
Purpose: state and ask for the time.
- いま、七時です。Ima, shichi-ji desu. — It's seven o'clock now.
- 九時半です。Ku-ji han desu. — It's nine thirty.
- すみません、いまなんじですか。Sumimasen, ima nanji desu ka. — Excuse me, what time is it now?
半 ("half") always follows the hour and means "thirty minutes past," similar to English "half past."
7.2 systematic ます／ません — The polite verb system
Purpose: describe habitual actions, daily routines, and near-future plans in ordinary polite style.
- まいあさ七時におきます。Mai-asa shichi-ji ni okimasu. — I get up at seven every morning.time に + verb ます
- よる十一時にねます。Yoru jūichi-ji ni nemasu. — I go to sleep at eleven at night.
- 土よう日ははたらきません。Doyōbi wa hatarakimasen. — I don't work on Saturdays.
The polite nonpast form (おきます, ねます, はたらきます) can describe a habitual action ("I get up at seven every day"), a fact that is generally true, or a planned or scheduled future action. Japanese does not need a separate habitual-tense marker; context and words like まいあさ make the habitual meaning clear.
7.3 時に and に／へ — Marking clock time and destination
Purpose: state exactly when something happens and where someone is going.
- 八時に学校へ行きます。Hachi-ji ni gakkō e ikimasu. — I go to school at eight o'clock.time に + destination へ
- 六時に家に帰ります。Roku-ji ni ie ni kaerimasu. — I go home at six.
Both に and へ may mark a destination with movement verbs such as 行きます and 帰ります; the two particles are interchangeable in this use at this level. Time に is a separate, unrelated use of the same particle and marks a specific point in time, not a place.
7.4 を and で with daily activities
Purpose: mark the object of an action and the place where an activity happens.
- あさ、シャワーをあびます。Asa, shawā o abimasu. — I take a shower in the morning.object を + verb
- かいしゃではたらきます。Kaisha de hatarakimasu. — I work at the office.activity で
This continues the location に versus activity で contrast from Chapter 6: に marks where something exists or a specific time, while で marks where an action takes place.
7.5 頻度のことば — Frequency words
Purpose: describe how often you do something.
- よくコンビニで買い物をします。Yoku konbini de kaimono o shimasu. — I often shop at the convenience store.
- ときどきこうえんであるきます。Tokidoki kōen de arukimasu. — I sometimes walk in the park.
- ぜんぜんテレビを見ません。Zenzen terebi o mimasen. — I don't watch TV at all.
7.6 それから — Sequencing actions
Purpose: connect two or more actions in the order they happen.
- 七時におきます。それから、シャワーをあびます。Shichi-ji ni okimasu. Sorekara, shawā o abimasu. — I get up at seven. Then I take a shower.
- かいしゃではたらきます。それから、うちへかえります。Kaisha de hatarakimasu. Sorekara, uchi e kaerimasu. — I work at the office. Then I go home.
それから begins a new sentence and links it to the sentence before it. This chapter uses それから only between separate polite sentences; joining actions within a single sentence will be introduced with the て-form in Chapter 11.
Error: *七時ではたらきます。
Correction: 七時にはたらきます。 — A specific clock time takes に, not で. で marks the place of an activity, not the time.
From single sentences to a connected routine. Earlier chapters introduced individual ます verbs and the particles that support them. This chapter puts the full polite verb system to work describing a real daily schedule: what you do, at what time, where, how often, and in what order, using それから to link the steps together.
Practice — Time and routine sentences
Complete each sentence using the correct particle.
- まいあさ七時＿＿おきます。 (specific time)
- としょかん＿＿べんきょうします。 (activity location)
- 六時＿＿家＿＿かえります。 (time, then destination)
- あさごはん＿＿食べます。 (object)
Model Dialogue
Setting: Mrs. Tanaka visits Tom again and asks about his daily schedule over tea.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What time does Tom get up, and what does he do right after?
- What time does Tom's program start, and what time does he leave for school?
- Does Tom work on Saturdays? What does he do instead?
- Identify each use of に in this dialogue and say whether it marks a time or a destination.
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Build a schedule. Write five sentences describing a typical weekday, including at least three clock times, one frequency word, and one use of それから.
タスク２ — Ask and answer. Write three questions you could ask a classmate about their daily routine, using なんじ, なんようび, or a frequency word.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following description aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — Priya's weekday
わたしはまいあさ六時半におきます。それから、シャワーをあびます。七時にあさごはんを食べます。九時から学校でべんきょうします。ひるごはんはたいてい学校で食べます。よる、うちでばんごはんを食べます。それから、へやでべんきょうします。じゅう時にねます。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Draw a simple timeline of Priya's day, labeling each activity next to its time. Then compare your timeline with a partner or check it against the passage above.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: What time?
Ask and answer the following, substituting real times and activities from your own life.
- まいあさなんじにおきますか。
- なんじに学校（か、しごと）へ行きますか。
- よく何をしますか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Compare schedules
One partner describes their weekday routine aloud using at least five sentences with times, frequency words, and それから. The other partner takes notes and then summarizes the schedule back, checking for accuracy.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: My weekly schedule
Record yourself describing your typical weekday and typical Saturday, using at least two clock times, one day of the week, one frequency word, and one activity location with で.
Reading Practice
Read the following short weekly schedule message and answer the questions below.
いっしゅうかんのスケジュール — A weekly schedule message
月よう日と水よう日は九時から学校でにほんごをべんきょうします。火よう日と木よう日はとしょかんではたらきます。金よう日のよる、よく友だちとレストランでばんごはんを食べます。土よう日ははたらきません。こうえんであるきます。それから、うちでほんを読みます。にちよう日もはたらきません。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- On which two days does the writer study Japanese, and where?
- On which two days does the writer work at the library?
- What does the writer often do on Friday evening?
- What does the writer do on Saturday, in order?
- Write one additional sentence in Japanese describing what you do on a day of the week of your choice.
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write your own weekly schedule to share with a study partner.
- List your regular weekday activities in English first. Include when you wake up, go to school or work, and go to sleep.
- Write four to six sentences describing your weekday routine. Include at least three clock times marked with に, and connect at least two actions with それから.
- Write two to three sentences describing your weekend. Mention at least one day of the week and one frequency word.
- Add one sentence about an activity location using activity で.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I used に correctly to mark specific clock times.
- I used に or へ correctly to mark a destination with a movement verb.
- I used で correctly to mark where an activity happens, not に.
- I used ます and ません correctly for affirmative and negative routines.
- I placed frequency words before the verb, and used ぜんぜん only with a negative verb.
- I used それから to connect actions in order, starting a new sentence.
- I wrote the remaining katakana rows and the nine new kanji accurately, with furigana.
- I ended each sentence with 。.
Culture and Communication
Work and school schedules vary widely across Japan by industry, employer, region, and individual circumstance. While a Monday-to-Friday pattern with Saturday and Sunday off is common in many schools and offices, many people work variable schedules, including retail, hospitality, healthcare, and shift-based occupations, so it is not accurate to describe one fixed national schedule.
Asking a new acquaintance about their daily schedule, as Mrs. Tanaka does in this chapter's dialogue, is a common and friendly way to build a relationship in many everyday Japanese conversations, though the level of detail people share can depend on how well they know each other and the setting of the conversation.
Common Mistakes
Error: *七時おきます。
Correction: 七時におきます。 — A specific clock time requires に before the verb.
Error: *ぜんぜんはたらきます。
Correction: ぜんぜんはたらきません。 — ぜんぜん must always be paired with a negative verb form.
Error: *学校でなんじに行きますか。 used to ask "what time," when the speaker means the school itself as the location of studying, not the time.
Correction: Keep the two uses separate: なんじに学校へ行きますか。 (time) versus 学校でべんきょうします。 (activity location).
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Give the Japanese words for "morning," "evening," and "night."
2. Name all seven days of the week in Japanese.
3. Give three frequency words and explain how ぜんぜん is different from the others.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write the katakana マ・ヤ・ラ・ワ rows and ン from memory.
2. Write the nine Chapter 7 kanji and give one word using each.
3. Write the readings for one minute, three minutes, and five minutes.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write a sentence stating what time you get up, using に and おきます.
2. Write a sentence saying you do not work on a specific day, using ません.
3. Write two connected sentences using それから.
4. Write a sentence using a frequency word correctly placed before the verb.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the weekly schedule message in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing the writer's Monday and Saturday.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a five-sentence description of a typical weekday, including at least two clock times and one use of それから.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Describe your own weekly schedule aloud without reading from the page, then answer two follow-up questions about specific times or days.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
スケジュールをきょうゆうする — Sharing your schedule
A study partner from the exchange program wants to know your weekly schedule so you can plan a time to meet.
- Written: Write a schedule message of at least eight sentences covering your weekday routine, at least one weekend day, three clock times, and one sequencing sentence with それから.
- Spoken: Give a short spoken summary of your weekly schedule from memory.
- Interaction: Answer at least three questions a partner asks about your schedule, using なんじ, なんようび, or a frequency word.
- Script check: Hand-write the remaining katakana rows and the nine Chapter 7 kanji from memory.
Assessment focus: correct use of ます and ません; correct choice between time に, destination に／へ, object を, and activity で; correctly placed frequency words; correct use of それから; accurate remaining katakana and new kanji; and an organized, connected description of a weekly routine.
Answer Key
Practice — Time and routine sentences
1. まいあさ七時におきます。 2. としょかんでべんきょうします。 3. 六時に家へかえります。 4. あさごはんを食べます。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Tom gets up at seven; right after, he takes a shower.
- The program starts at nine; Tom leaves for school at eight thirty.
- No, Tom does not work on Saturdays; he sometimes walks in the park instead.
- 七時におきます and 八時半に学校へ行きます mark clock times; じゅういち時にねます also marks a clock time.
Listening task — Model description
Priya gets up at 6:30, showers, eats breakfast at 7:00, studies at school from 9:00, usually eats lunch at school, eats dinner at home in the evening, studies in her room afterward, and goes to sleep at 10:00.
Reading — Comprehension
- Monday and Wednesday, at school.
- Tuesday and Thursday, at the library.
- The writer often eats dinner at a restaurant with friends.
- The writer walks in the park, then reads a book at home.
- Open-ended; accept any accurate sentence about a day of the week.
Chapter Review — Section A
- あさ・ばん・よる.
- 月よう日・火よう日・水よう日・木よう日・金よう日・土よう日・にちよう日.
- Any three of よく、ときどき、たいてい; ぜんぜん must always be paired with a negative verb, unlike the others.
Chapter Review — Section B
- マ行: マ ミ ム メ モ; ヤ行: ヤ ユ ヨ; ラ行: ラ リ ル レ ロ; ワ行: ワ ヲ; ン.
- 時・分・半・月・火・水・木・金・土 — check against the kanji grids above.
- いっぷん、さんぷん、ごふん.
Chapter Review — Section C
- Model: 七時におきます。
- Model: 日よう日ははたらきません。
- Model: 七時におきます。それから、シャワーをあびます。
- Model: よくとしょかんでべんきょうします。
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: 月よう日は九時から学校でにほんごをべんきょうします。土よう日ははたらきません。こうえんであるきます。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate spoken work against the Performance Task assessment focus.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can tell time, name the days of the week, describe a daily and weekly routine using ます and ません, mark clock times and destinations, distinguish object を from activity で, describe frequency, and sequence actions with それから. You have completed the katakana chart and can read and write nine new kanji for time and days.