Key Facts
- Hangul: 월요일; Revised Romanization: woryoil
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 月曜日 (月 moon + 曜 weekday + 日 day)
- Register: Neutral, standard day name; calendars abbreviate it to 월.
Monday in Korean: What Does 월요일 Mean?
월요일 has one sense, Monday. It is neutral and standard. On calendars you will see just 월, the first syllable, standing for Monday.
How Do You Pronounce 월요일?
Say wo-ryo-il, three syllables. The final ㄹ of 월 moves onto the next syllable, which starts with a vowel, so the ear hears wo-ryo-il rather than wol-yo-il. This linked form is the standard pronunciation.
Example Sentences with 월요일
월요일에 회사에 가요.
Woryoire hoesae gayo
I go to the office on Monday.
The particle 에 attached to the day means "on Monday". 회사에 가요 means "go to the office".
월요일은 바빠요.
Woryoireun bappayo
Monday is busy.
Here 월요일 is the topic, marked with 은, and 바빠요 says it is busy.
월요일 아침이 힘들어요.
Woryoil achimi himdeureoyo
Monday mornings are hard.
Two nouns side by side: 월요일 modifies 아침 (morning) with no particle between them.
Common Phrases and Collocations
월요일마다 means "every Monday", 다음 월요일 means "next Monday", and 월요병 is the Monday blues, a phrase for the dread of a new work week.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 월요일 아침 | Monday morning |
| 다음 월요일 | next Monday |
| 월요일마다 | every Monday |
| 월요병 | Monday blues |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ wol-yo-il, with a break after 월
Correct: ✓ wo-ryo-il, with the ㄹ carried into the next syllable
Why: a final consonant moves into a following syllable that starts with a vowel. The second slip is grammatical: for "on Monday" use 월요일에, as in 월요일에 회사에 가요. Casual speech sometimes drops 에, but keeping it is never wrong.
월요일 Compared with Similar Words
Three nearby words are easy to confuse with 월요일, and each does a different job.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 월 | month / Monday (abbr.) | 月 means moon and month. On its own, 월 is the month counter; on a calendar it stands for Monday. |
| 요일 | day of the week | 요일 is the ending shared by all seven day names. |
| 달 | moon/month | 달 is the native word for both moon and month. It is never used in day names. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
月曜日 is Sino-Korean: 月 means moon, 曜 means weekday and 日 means day, so Monday is the moon's day, as it is in English. 曜 originally means a shining heavenly body. East Asian calendars name the seven days after the sun, the moon and the five planets visible to the naked eye, and each planet is linked to one of the five elements: fire, water, wood, metal and earth. The same 月 is why 월 means both month and moon.
Checking a Café’s Closing Day
A customer is planning a visit and asks the café owner about Monday opening. Both use polite speech.
Customer
월요일에도 문 열어요?
Woryoiredo mun yeoreoyo?
Are you open on Mondays too?
Owner
아니요, 월요일은 쉬어요.
Aniyo, woryoireun swieoyo.
No, we’re closed on Mondays.
Customer
그럼 화요일에 올게요.
Geureom hwayoire olgeyo.
Then I’ll come on Tuesday.
Owner
네, 화요일에 오세요.
Ne, hwayoire oseyo.
Yes, please come on Tuesday.
월요일에도 combines 에, “on”, with 도, “also”. The owner uses 월요일은 to make Monday the topic and explain its special status. 쉬어요 literally means “rest”; when a business says it, the practical meaning is that the business is closed.
How Do You Read Monday on an Opening-Hours Sign?
매주 월요일 means “every Monday”. Beside 휴무, “closed” or “day off”, it describes a regular closure. 월요일 휴무 therefore gives you information about when you cannot visit. A sign with 월요일 영업 says the business operates on Monday instead. The day name alone does not mean open or closed.
Calendars and booking screens often shorten Monday to 월. In a date such as 5월 4일 (월), the 월 after 5 names the month, while the parenthesized 월 identifies Monday. Its position is the clue: after a month number it is the month unit; in the weekday slot it is an abbreviation.
One Monday or Every Monday?
이번 주 월요일 is “Monday this week”, and 다음 주 월요일 is “Monday next week”. These fuller expressions help when arranging something near the weekend, when “next Monday” might otherwise be unclear. Adding an exact date makes the plan clearer still.
월요일마다 means “every Monday” and attaches 마다 directly to the day name. 매주 월요일 expresses the same weekly pattern with 매주, “every week”, before the noun. For a one-time appointment, 월요일에 supplies the day without claiming that the appointment repeats.
월요일부터 금요일까지 means “from Monday to Friday”. 부터 marks the starting point and 까지 the end point. On a work schedule, the phrase describes the span of days; it does not by itself give each day’s starting or finishing hour.
Nearby Schedule Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 화요일 | Tuesday | The next day after Monday. |
| 일요일 | Sunday | Useful when planning across the weekend. |
| 평일 | weekdays | Used for weekday opening hours or routines. |
| 주말 | weekend | Contrasts with weekday plans. |
The days of the week lesson teaches all seven names. When reading an opening-hours table, check the day range and the hours together: knowing 월요일 gets you to the correct row, but the times still determine when you can arrive.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 매주 월요일 휴무 tell a customer?
- Which means a repeating Monday routine: 월요일마다 or 다음 주 월요일?
- In a calendar’s weekday row, what does 월 abbreviate?
Show answers
- The business is closed every Monday.
- 월요일마다 means every Monday; 다음 주 월요일 means Monday next week.
- 월요일, Monday.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "Monday" in Korean?
Say 월요일 (woryoil), pronounced wo-ryo-il. Calendars and timetables shorten it to 월, the first syllable.
How do you say "on Monday"?
Add the time particle 에 to get 월요일에, as in 월요일에 회사에 가요 (I go to the office on Monday). For next Monday, say 다음 월요일.
What does 요일 mean?
요일 means day of the week. Every Korean day name ends in it, so you only need to learn the first syllable of each: 월 for Monday, for example.
What is 월요병?
월요병 is the Monday blues: the tired, low mood many people feel at the start of the work week. It literally means Monday sickness.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Days of the week groups 월요일 with its neighbours.
- Browse the Korean words A to Z index for words near Monday.
- Drill 월요일 in the vocabulary flashcard decks.