Similarities Between Japanese and English Weekday Names

A fascinating and unexpected connection between English and Japanese.

日曜日 Sunday Not similar, identical. Sunday is "Sun Day" in both languages. 日= Sun

月曜日 Monday Again, identical.月=Moon

火曜日 Tuesday Not identical, but strangely similar. Tuesday is named for Tir, the Norse god of single combat. 火means fire, but 火星means the planet Mars, named after the Roman god of war. Both languages connect the day to a god of some sort of violent conflict.

水曜日 Wednesday 水means water, and 水星 means the planet Mercury. Wednesday is named after the god Wodan or Odin, no connection between the Japanese and English, but there is a connection between Japanese and French. In French, Wednesday is mercredi, named for Mercury, the Roman/Greek messenger god.

木曜日 Thursday 木 means wood or tree. 木星means the planet Jupiter. Thursday is named for the Norse god Thor. There is some connection. Jupiter was the Roman king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder. Thor was the Norse god of thunder.

金曜日Friday 金means money and 金星means the planet Venus, named alter the Roman goddess of love. Friday is named for Freya, Norse goddess of love.

土曜日Saturday Exact correspondence. Saturday was named for the planet Saturn. 土 means earth and 土星 is the planet Saturn.