Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow in Japanese: 昨日・今日・明日

TLDR

The three core relative-day words are:

• 昨日（きのう） — yesterday

• 今日（きょう） — today

• 明日（あした） — tomorrow

And if you want the full five-day timeline:

一昨日 → 昨日 → 今日 → 明日 → 明後日

おととい → きのう → きょう → あした → あさって

Think of them as positions on a timeline:

−2 → −1 → TODAY → +1 → +2

One important grammar point:

昨日・今日・明日 normally do not take the time particle に.

So:

明日、学校に行きます。 ✅
I’ll go to school tomorrow.

Not:

明日に学校に行きます。 ❌

Quick Answer

Yesterday is 昨日（きのう / kinō）, today is 今日（きょう / kyō）, and tomorrow is 明日（あした / ashita）.

You can extend the timeline:

The easiest way to learn them is not as five separate vocabulary words.

Put them on a timeline.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow at a Glance

Start with this timeline:

一昨日 → 昨日 → 今日 → 明日 → 明後日

おととい → きのう → きょう → あした → あさって

Or:

−2 → −1 → 0 → +1 → +2

Where:

• 一昨日 = two days ago

• 昨日 = one day ago

• 今日 = today

• 明日 = one day from now

• 明後日 = two days from now

This is the simplest way to understand Japanese relative-day vocabulary.

How to Say Yesterday in Japanese

The everyday word for “yesterday” is:

昨日（きのう）

For example:

昨日、友達に会いました。
I met my friend yesterday.

昨日、ラーメンを食べました。
I ate ramen yesterday.

昨日は忙しかったです。
I was busy yesterday.

The most useful reading for beginners is:

きのう

きのう vs さくじつ

昨日 can also be read:

さくじつ

This also means:

yesterday

But the tone is different.

きのう

Normal everyday conversation.

For example:

昨日、映画を見ました。
I watched a movie yesterday.

さくじつ

More formal.

You may hear or see it in:

• business

• formal announcements

• news

• customer communication

For example:

昨日お問い合わせいただき、ありがとうございました。
Thank you for contacting us yesterday.

For beginner conversation, use:

きのう

and simply learn to recognise:

さくじつ

when it appears.

How to Say Today in Japanese

Today is:

今日（きょう）

For example:

今日は暑いです。
It’s hot today.

今日、日本語を勉強します。
I’ll study Japanese today.

今日、仕事があります。
I have work today.

The everyday reading is:

きょう

Like 昨日 and 明日, 今日 is best learned as a complete word.

Do not worry about trying to predict its pronunciation from each kanji separately.

How to Say Tomorrow in Japanese

Tomorrow is:

明日（あした）

For example:

明日、学校に行きます。
I’ll go to school tomorrow.

明日は休みです。
Tomorrow is my day off.

明日、友達と会います。
I’ll meet my friend tomorrow.

For normal everyday conversation, the most useful reading is:

あした

But 明日 has other common readings too.

あした vs あす vs みょうにち

You may encounter three readings of 明日:

• あした

• あす

• みょうにち

All can mean:

tomorrow

But they differ in formality.

あした

The most common everyday conversational choice.

明日、東京に行きます。
I’ll go to Tokyo tomorrow.

If you are talking with friends, classmates, or coworkers in normal conversation, あした is the safest default.

あす

A little more neutral or formal.

You may hear it in:

• weather reports

• announcements

• news

• more polished speech

For example:

明日は雨でしょう。
It will probably rain tomorrow.

The kanji may still be written 明日 even when pronounced あす.

みょうにち

Much more formal.

You may hear it in:

• business communication

• customer service

• formal scheduling

For example:

明日、改めてご連絡いたします。
We will contact you again tomorrow.

In very formal speech, 明日 may be read as みょうにち.

For beginners:

Use あした. Recognise あす and みょうにち.

That is enough.

The Full Five-Day Timeline

Now expand beyond yesterday, today and tomorrow.

一昨日 → 昨日 → 今日 → 明日 → 明後日

−2

一昨日（おととい）
the day before yesterday

−1

昨日（きのう）
yesterday

0

今日（きょう）
today

+1

明日（あした）
tomorrow

+2

明後日（あさって）
the day after tomorrow

This five-word timeline is worth memorising as one sequence.

How to Say the Day Before Yesterday

The day before yesterday is:

一昨日（おととい）

For example:

一昨日、日本に着きました。
I arrived in Japan the day before yesterday.

一昨日、友達と映画を見ました。
I watched a movie with a friend the day before yesterday.

The reading:

おととい

is not easy to guess from the kanji.

Learn the whole word together.

How to Say the Day After Tomorrow

The day after tomorrow is:

明後日（あさって）

For example:

明後日、試験があります。
I have an exam the day after tomorrow.

明後日、大阪に行きます。
I’m going to Osaka the day after tomorrow.

Again, learn:

明後日 = あさって

as one vocabulary item.

Do You Use に With Yesterday, Today or Tomorrow?

Usually:

No.

This is an important beginner grammar point.

You may already know:

7時に起きます。
I wake up at 7.

Here:

7時 + に

marks a specific time.

But with relative-day words such as:

• 昨日

• 今日

• 明日

you normally do not add に.

Correct

昨日、映画を見ました。
I watched a movie yesterday.

今日、勉強します。
I’ll study today.

明日、東京へ行きます。
I’ll go to Tokyo tomorrow.

Incorrect

昨日に映画を見ました。 ❌

今日に勉強します。 ❌

明日に東京へ行きます。 ❌

For normal beginner usage, simply say:

昨日、

今日、

明日、

and continue the sentence.

Why Don’t You Need に?

Specific clock times or calendar dates often use に:

7時に起きます。
I wake up at 7.

6月15日に日本へ行きます。
I’m going to Japan on June 15.

But relative-day words already locate the event relative to the present.

明日 already means:

the day after today.

So the sentence does not need another particle to say:

“at tomorrow.”

This is similar to English.

We say:

“I’m going tomorrow.”

not:

“I’m going at tomorrow.”

Using は With Relative Days

You can add は when you want to make the day the topic or create contrast.

Compare:

今日、忙しいです。
I’m busy today.

今日は忙しいです。
As for today, I’m busy.

The second sentence puts more focus on:

today.

Maybe yesterday was quiet.

Maybe tomorrow will be quiet.

But:

today is busy.

More examples:

昨日は寒かったです。
Yesterday was cold.

今日は暖かいです。
Today is warm.

明日は暑いでしょう。
Tomorrow will probably be hot.

Adding は often helps contrast one time period with another.

Using の: Yesterday’s, Today’s and Tomorrow’s

You can use:

time word + の + noun

to describe something connected with that day.

For example:

今日の予定
today’s schedule

明日の天気
tomorrow’s weather

昨日のニュース
yesterday’s news

This follows the same basic の pattern:

A の B = B connected to A

So:

明日の予定

means:

schedule connected to tomorrow

or naturally:

tomorrow’s schedule.

More Useful Examples

今日の昼ご飯
today’s lunch

昨日の写真
yesterday’s photo / the photo from yesterday

明日の試験
tomorrow’s exam

一昨日の夜
the night before last

明後日の予定
plans for the day after tomorrow

This is a very common pattern.

Past, Present and Future Sentences

Relative-day words often tell you what time the event happens.

The verb form also matters.

Yesterday Usually Uses Past Tense

昨日、ラーメンを食べました。
I ate ramen yesterday.

昨日、学校に行きました。
I went to school yesterday.

昨日は忙しかったです。
I was busy yesterday.

Because yesterday is already finished, past tense is normally expected.

Today Depends on the Event

今日、朝ご飯を食べました。
I ate breakfast today.

That already happened.

But:

今日、日本語を勉強します。
I’ll study Japanese today.

That has not happened yet.

So 今日 can appear with past or non-past forms depending on when the action occurs.

Tomorrow Uses the Non-Past Form

明日、映画を見ます。
I’ll watch a movie tomorrow.

明日、仕事をします。
I’ll work tomorrow.

Japanese does not need a separate “will” form here.

The word:

明日

already makes the future meaning clear.

Yesterday Morning, Tonight and Tomorrow Morning

You can combine relative days with time-of-day expressions.

Yesterday Morning

昨日の朝
yesterday morning

Example:

昨日の朝、雨が降りました。
It rained yesterday morning.

This Morning

Japanese has the common word:

今朝（けさ）

meaning:

this morning.

Example:

今朝、コーヒーを飲みました。
I drank coffee this morning.

Tonight

A common word is:

今夜（こんや）

meaning:

tonight.

Example:

今夜、映画を見ます。
I’ll watch a movie tonight.

You may also hear:

今日の夜
tonight / this evening

depending on context.

Tomorrow Morning

明日の朝
tomorrow morning

Example:

明日の朝、早く起きます。
I’ll wake up early tomorrow morning.

Day → Week → Month → Year

Japanese uses the same general idea of:

previous → current → next

across larger time periods.

This creates useful vocabulary families.

Day

昨日
yesterday

今日
today

明日
tomorrow

Week

先週
last week

今週
this week

来週
next week

Month

先月
last month

今月
this month

来月
next month

Year

去年
last year

今年
this year

来年
next year

Once you see these as timelines rather than isolated vocabulary words, they become much easier to organise.

Common Mistake 1: Adding に After 明日

Incorrect:

明日に学校へ行きます。 ❌

Correct:

明日、学校へ行きます。 ✅

Relative-day words normally do not need に.

Common Mistake 2: Assuming 明日 Has Only One Reading

For everyday speech:

あした

is the most useful.

But you may also encounter:

あす

and:

みょうにち

Learn the difference gradually.

Common Mistake 3: Trying to Read the Kanji One by One

Words such as:

今日
明日
昨日
一昨日
明後日

have established whole-word readings.

Do not expect their pronunciation to be obvious simply because you know the individual kanji.

Learn:

kanji + reading + meaning

as one unit.

Common Mistake 4: Confusing 昨日 and 一昨日

Remember the timeline:

一昨日 → 昨日 → 今日

So:

一昨日
= two days ago

昨日
= one day ago

Common Mistake 5: Confusing 明日 and 明後日

Remember:

今日 → 明日 → 明後日

So:

明日
= tomorrow

明後日
= the day after tomorrow.

Common Mistake 6: Using Non-Past Tense for a Finished Yesterday Action

Incorrect:

昨日、映画を見ます。 ❌

if you mean:

I watched a movie yesterday.

Use:

昨日、映画を見ました。 ✅

Common Mistake 7: Forgetting の Before a Noun

If you mean:

tomorrow’s weather

use:

明日の天気 ✅

not:

明日天気 ❌

The の links:

tomorrow

to:

weather.

Mini Practice Quiz

Choose the best answer.

1. How do you say “yesterday”?

A. 今日
B. 昨日
C. 明日

Answer: B. 昨日

Reading:

きのう

2. How do you say “today”?

A. 今日
B. 一昨日
C. 明後日

Answer: A. 今日

Reading:

きょう

3. How do you say “tomorrow”?

A. 昨日
B. 明日
C. 今日

Answer: B. 明日

Everyday reading:

あした

4. What does 一昨日 mean?

A. yesterday
B. the day before yesterday
C. tomorrow

Answer: B. the day before yesterday

Reading:

おととい

5. What does 明後日 mean?

A. tomorrow
B. today
C. the day after tomorrow

Answer: C. the day after tomorrow

Reading:

あさって

6. Which is correct?

A. 明日に学校へ行きます。
B. 明日、学校へ行きます。

Answer: B.

Relative-day words normally do not take に.

7. What does 明日の予定 mean?

A. yesterday’s plan
B. today’s plan
C. tomorrow’s plan

Answer: C. tomorrow’s plan

8. Which is the normal everyday reading of 明日?

A. あした
B. みょうにち only
C. きのう

Answer: A. あした

9. Complete the timeline:

一昨日 → 昨日 → ＿ → 明日 → 明後日

A. 今日
B. 来週
C. 今月

Answer: A. 今日

10. Which sentence means “I ate ramen yesterday”?

A. 昨日、ラーメンを食べました。
B. 明日、ラーメンを食べました。
C. 昨日にラーメンを食べます。

Answer: A.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say yesterday, today and tomorrow in Japanese?

Yesterday is:

昨日（きのう）

Today is:

今日（きょう）

Tomorrow is:

明日（あした）

How do you say the day before yesterday in Japanese?

Use:

一昨日（おととい）

For example:

一昨日、友達に会いました。
I met my friend the day before yesterday.

How do you say the day after tomorrow in Japanese?

Use:

明後日（あさって）

For example:

明後日、日本へ行きます。
I’m going to Japan the day after tomorrow.

What is the difference between あした, あす and みょうにち?

All three can mean:

tomorrow.

But:

• あした is the normal everyday conversational form

• あす is somewhat more neutral or formal

• みょうにち is particularly formal and common in business or customer-facing language

For beginners, use:

あした

in normal conversation.

What is the difference between きのう and さくじつ?

Both mean:

yesterday.

きのう is normal everyday Japanese.

さくじつ is more formal.

Do you use に with 今日, 昨日 or 明日?

Normally, no.

Say:

明日、学校へ行きます。
I’ll go to school tomorrow.

Not:

明日に学校へ行きます。 ❌

How do you say “tomorrow’s” in Japanese?

Use:

明日の

For example:

明日の天気
tomorrow’s weather

明日の予定
tomorrow’s schedule

Does Japanese have a future tense?

Japanese does not have a separate future verb form equivalent to English “will.”

The non-past form can express future actions when context or a time word makes the meaning clear.

For example:

明日、東京に行きます。
I’ll go to Tokyo tomorrow.

What Should You Learn Next?

Once yesterday, today and tomorrow feel automatic, continue with the rest of the Japanese time-expression cluster.

This Week, Next Week & the Week After Next in Japanese

Learn how Japanese expresses relative weeks.

Days of the Week in Japanese

Learn Monday through Sunday and how to use them naturally.

Months in Japanese

Learn January through December and how Japanese month names work.

How to Tell Time in Japanese

Learn hours, minutes, and common clock-time expressions.

What Does に Mean in Japanese?

Learn why fixed times often use に while words such as 今日 and 明日 normally do not.

What Does の Mean in Japanese?

Learn how の creates phrases such as 今日の予定 and 明日の天気.

Continue Your Japanese Journey

Yesterday, today and tomorrow are easy to treat as three separate vocabulary words:

昨日

今日

明日

But they are easier to remember as positions on one timeline:

一昨日 → 昨日 → 今日 → 明日 → 明後日

Or:

おととい → きのう → きょう → あした → あさって

Once that sequence feels automatic, you can build outward.

From:

day

to:

week

to:

month

to:

year.

And the same vocabulary starts appearing in useful phrases:

今日の予定
today’s schedule

明日の天気
tomorrow’s weather

昨日は忙しかった
yesterday was busy

The goal is not to memorise a bigger list.

It is to connect each time expression to a simple mental timeline and then use it inside real sentences.

Japanese Journey is built around the same idea: learn Japanese as connected patterns rather than isolated facts, so each new word has a clear place in what you already know.