Key Facts
- Word: 목요일 (mogyoil), noun, Sino-Korean origin
- Register: Neutral, standard day name; calendars abbreviate it to 목.
- Hanja: 木曜日 (木 tree + 曜 weekday + 日 day)
Thursday in Korean: What Does 목요일 Mean?
목요일 is Thursday and has no other sense. The register is neutral, and calendars abbreviate it to 목. The ending 요일 is shared by every weekday name. Common phrases include 목요일 아침, 목요일 저녁, 이번 목요일 and 목요일마다.
How Do You Pronounce It?
Read it mo-gyo-il. The final ㄱ of 목 moves into the next syllable, which starts with a vowel, so you do not hear a stop after mo. The romanization mogyoil shows the same link. Particles attach smoothly too, so 목요일에 sounds like mo-gyo-i-re.
Example Sentences with 목요일
목요일에 영화를 봐요.
Mogyoire yeonghwareul bwayo
I watch a movie on Thursday.
A leisure plan: 에 marks the day, and 영화를 봐요 is "watch a movie".
목요일은 일이 많아요.
Mogyoireun iri manayo
Thursday has a lot of work.
A workload remark: 일이 많아요 says there is a lot of work, and the topic marker 은 contrasts Thursday with other days. In natural English: I have a lot of work on Thursdays.
저는 목요일에 쉬어요.
Jeoneun mogyoire swieoyo
I rest on Thursday.
A day-off statement: 쉬어요 means "rest", and 저는 makes it clear the speaker is talking about their own schedule.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 목요일 아침 | Thursday morning |
| 이번 목요일 | this Thursday |
| 목요일마다 | every Thursday |
| 목요일 저녁 | Thursday evening |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ reading the 목 in 목요일 as 목, the neck.
Correct: ✓ 목요일 = 木 (tree, wood) + 요일. The day is the wood day.
Why: the neck word 목 is a separate native word that happens to sound the same. Nothing about the neck is involved in the day name.
목요일 Compared with Similar Words
Three words share a sound or a meaning with 목요일.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 나무 | tree | 나무 is the native word for tree. It means the same as 木 but is never used in the day name. |
| 목 | neck/throat | This 목 is a native body word that only sounds like the 목 of Thursday. |
| 요일 | day of the week | 요일 is the ending shared by all seven day names. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The hanja is 木曜日: 木 means tree, 曜 means weekday and 日 means day. 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. Thursday belongs to Jupiter, the wood planet.
Booking a Haircut for Thursday
A customer calls a salon to arrange a haircut. The staff member checks the time before making the reservation. The exchange uses polite speech suitable for a service call.
Customer
이번 목요일에 예약할 수 있어요?
Ibeon mogyoire yeyakal su isseoyo?
Can I make a reservation for this Thursday?
Staff
네. 몇 시가 좋으세요?
Ne. Myeot siga joeuseyo?
Yes. What time would suit you?
Customer
오후 세 시 괜찮아요?
Ohu se si gwaenchanayo?
Is three in the afternoon okay?
Staff
네, 목요일 오후 세 시에 뵐게요.
Ne, mogyoil ohu se sie bwoelgeyo.
Yes, we’ll see you on Thursday at three in the afternoon.
The last line repeats both the day and the time to confirm the appointment. 오후 means “afternoon”, so 세 시 cannot be mistaken for three in the morning. 뵐게요 is a respectful way to say the staff member will see the customer; 목요일 itself stays unchanged.
What Do Thursday Notices Mean?
목요일 휴무 means “closed on Thursday” on a business notice. 휴무 describes a day without business or work. 매주 목요일 휴무 makes the repetition explicit: closed every Thursday. For an appointment, check whether the notice names a regular closing day or a closure on one particular date.
목요일까지 can mean “until Thursday” or “by Thursday”. A continuing service can run until Thursday, while a task can be due by Thursday. The verb and the rest of the notice establish which meaning applies. The phrase alone does not supply a precise closing hour.
목요일부터 means “from Thursday”. It marks a starting point, such as the first day of a sale or a changed timetable. 목요일 오전 and 목요일 오후 narrow a Thursday plan to morning or afternoon. In a full appointment time, put the larger time unit before the smaller one, as the dialogue does.
Reading 목 on a Calendar
목 is useful as a compact column heading or a weekday label beside a date. In that setting, it stands for 목요일. A standalone 목 elsewhere can mean something else, including “neck”, so the calendar layout matters as much as the single character.
When reading a date label aloud, expand the abbreviation to 목요일. A short written label saves space but does not need to become your spoken day name. 이번 목요일 identifies a Thursday relative to the current conversation; if people might mean different dates, confirm the numbered date too.
Nearby Weekdays and Schedule Words
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 수요일 | Wednesday | The day immediately before Thursday. |
| 금요일 | Friday | The day immediately after Thursday. |
| 평일 | weekday | Useful when a notice groups Monday through Friday. |
| 휴무 | closure; day off | Look for this on business schedules. |
The days of the week lesson teaches the full sequence. Learning 수요일, 목요일 and 금요일 together helps when a reservation is moved by one day: the shared 요일 stays the same and the first syllable identifies the new day.
Quick Self-Test
- What does 목 stand for in a calendar’s weekday row?
- Which expression explicitly means every Thursday?
- Does 목요일까지 tell you the exact closing hour?
Show answers
- 목요일, Thursday.
- 목요일마다 or 매주 목요일.
- No. Check the rest of the notice or confirm the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Thursday in Korean?
Thursday is 목요일 (mogyoil), pronounced mo-gyo-il. Add 에 for "on Thursday": 목요일에 영화를 봐요 means I watch a movie on Thursday.
What is the abbreviation?
Calendars, timetables and shop signs write just 목, the first syllable. In speech, always say the full 목요일.
Is the 목 in 목요일 the neck?
No. It is the character 木, tree or wood. The neck is a separate native word, 목, that only happens to sound the same.
How do I say 'every Thursday'?
Say 목요일마다. The ending 마다 means every and attaches straight to the day name, the same way as with the other six days.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Days of the week words groups 목요일 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Practice: add it to the vocabulary flashcard decks.
- Next in the week: Friday in Korean.