Key Facts
- Hangul: 일요일; Revised Romanization: iryoil
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 日曜日 (日 sun + 曜 weekday + 日 day)
- Register: Neutral, standard day name; calendars abbreviate it to 일.
Sunday in Korean: What Does 일요일 Mean?
일요일 means Sunday. It is the neutral standard day name, and calendars abbreviate it to 일. Useful phrases are 일요일 아침 (Sunday morning), 이번 일요일 (this Sunday), 일요일마다 (every Sunday) and 일요일 저녁 (Sunday evening). Related words are 주말 (weekend) and 휴일 (holiday or day off).
How Do You Pronounce 일요일?
Say i-ryo-il. The final ㄹ of the first syllable moves into the next one, which starts with a vowel, and becomes a single light tap. This linked form is the standard pronunciation; a doubled il-lyo-il is not. In 일요일에 the particle links the same way: i-ryo-i-re.
Example Sentences with 일요일
일요일에 교회에 가요.
Iryoire gyohoee gayo
I go to church on Sunday.
에 marks the day. 교회에 가요 means "go to church", so the sentence describes a weekly routine.
일요일은 집에서 쉬어요.
Iryoireun jibeseo swieoyo
I rest at home on Sunday.
일요일은 sets Sunday as the topic. 쉬어요 is rest, and 집에서 says it happens at home.
저는 일요일에 청소해요.
Jeoneun iryoire cheongsohaeyo
I clean on Sunday.
청소해요 is the verb to clean. The subject 저는 comes first, then the time, then the action.
Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 일요일 아침 | Sunday morning |
| 이번 일요일 | this Sunday |
| 일요일마다 | every Sunday |
| 일요일 저녁 | Sunday evening |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ reading the 일 in 일요일 as 일, work.
Correct: ✓ 일요일 = 日 (sun) + 요일. Sunday is the sun's day, and usually a day off from work.
Why: 일 is a homophone. The native word 일 means work, while the Sino-Korean 일 means day or the number one. Only the sun/day character is in the day name.
일요일 Compared with 일 and 주말
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 일 | day / work / one | 일 alone can mean work, day or one. Only the full 일요일 means Sunday. |
| 주말 | weekend | 주말 is Saturday and Sunday together; 일요일 is one day. |
| 휴일 | holiday/day off | 휴일 is any day off, Sundays included. 일요일 is the calendar day. |
Origin and Culture
일요일 is Sino-Korean, written 日曜日 in hanja: 日 (sun), 曜 (weekday) and 日 (day), so Sunday is the sun'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.
Arranging a Sunday Cafe Visit
Mina and Jisu choose a day, then narrow the plan to a specific time and place.
Mina
이번 일요일에 시간 있어요?
Ibeon iryoire sigan isseoyo?
Are you free this Sunday?
Jisu
네. 오후에 만날까요?
Ne. Ohue mannalkkayo?
Yes. Shall we meet in the afternoon?
Mina
좋아요. 일요일 두 시에 카페에서 만나요.
Joayo. Iryoil du sie kapeeseo mannayo.
Sounds good. Let’s meet at the cafe at two on Sunday.
Jisu
네, 그때 봐요.
Ne, geuttae bwayo.
Yes, see you then.
이번 일요일에 asks about this Sunday rather than Sundays in general. 오후 establishes the afternoon, so 두 시 later means two in the afternoon. 일요일 두 시에 puts the day before the clock time, and the final 에 marks the time expression as a whole.
Which Sunday Do You Mean?
이번 일요일 means “this Sunday”, 지난 일요일 means “last Sunday”, and 다음 일요일 means “next Sunday”. For an appointment close to the weekend, adding the date helps avoid different interpretations of “this” and “next”. The weekday names a repeating slot in the week; a date identifies one occurrence.
일요일마다 describes a habit: something happens every Sunday. 매주 일요일 also means every Sunday, with 매주 supplying “every week”. These expressions differ from a one-off invitation for 이번 일요일. A regular class listing may use 매주, while a message arranging coffee usually names a particular Sunday.
Where Will You See Sunday on a Sign?
일요일 휴무 means “closed on Sundays” on a shop notice. 휴무 refers to not operating or not working. It is a compact notice, so the time particle and full sentence ending can be absent. The sign gives opening information without using a conversational sentence like the dialogue above.
매주 일요일 휴무 makes the weekly pattern explicit. A sign that names a particular Sunday date can instead announce a one-day closure. Read any date or other weekday beside 일요일 before assuming the notice describes every weekend.
Calendars often abbreviate 일요일 to 일, and schedules may put 일 in parentheses after a date. In that position it names the weekday. In a full date, 일 can also mark the day of the month after a number. Its position tells you whether you are reading a weekday abbreviation or part of the numerical date.
Words for the Rest of the Weekend
| Korean | Meaning | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 토요일 | Saturday | Distinguishes the first day of a typical weekend from Sunday. |
| 월요일 | Monday | Names the day immediately after Sunday. |
| 평일 | weekday | Often contrasts with weekend opening hours. |
| 휴무 | closure / day off work | Appears in notices about when a business does not operate. |
The days of the week lesson teaches the full weekday set. 주말 groups the weekend days, while 일요일 names one specific weekday. A shop can be open on Saturday and closed on Sunday, so the single-day name is more useful than 주말 when checking a visit.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase describes a weekly routine: 이번 일요일 or 일요일마다?
- What does 일요일 휴무 tell a customer?
- In the dialogue, why does 두 시 mean two in the afternoon?
Show answers
- 일요일마다 means every Sunday.
- The business is closed on Sundays.
- The speakers have already established 오후, the afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say "Sunday" in Korean?
Say 일요일 (iryoil), pronounced i-ryo-il. Calendars shorten it to 일, which is printed in red on most Korean calendars.
How do you say "every Sunday" in Korean?
Say 일요일마다. The ending 마다 means every, so 일요일마다 교회에 가요 means I go to church every Sunday.
Is the 일 in 일요일 the word for work?
No. It is the character 日, sun or day. The native word 일, work, only sounds the same, which is easy to remember because most people do not work on Sunday.
What is 주말?
주말 is the weekend, Saturday and Sunday together. Use 일요일 for the single day and 주말 when you mean both days.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the Days of the Week page puts 일요일 beside its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add 일요일 to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the list is the word for weekday: see weekday.
- Compare with work in Korean: the native 일, which only sounds like the first syllable of 일요일.
- Compare with weekend in Korean: Saturday and Sunday together.
- Compare with holiday in Korean: any day off, Sundays included.