How to talk about your day in Japanese
今日は仕事に行きました。
kyō wa shigoto ni ikimashita.
“Today I went to work.”
When: Answering when someone asks how your day was
The moment
You are in the office kitchen in Tokyo at the end of the day, chatting with a coworker. You want to say what you did today and hear about theirs.
A1 · Unit 4 · People
The lines
Saying what you did
Name where you went and finish with 「行きました」, which means it already happened: 「今日は仕事に行きました。」 Swap 仕事 for スーパー, ジム or 病院, and swap 今日 for 今朝 to talk about your morning.
今日は仕事に行きました。
kyō wa shigoto ni ikimashita.
“Today I went to work.”
When to use it: Answering when someone asks how your day was
What you’ll hear back: そうですか。大変でしたね。 sō desu ka. taihen deshita ne. (I see. That sounds tough.)
Asking about their day
「今日はどうでしたか。」 hands the conversation back and asks how their day went. Put their name in front to sound warmer: 「田中さんは、今日はどうでしたか。」
今日はどうでしたか。
kyō wa dō deshita ka.
“How was your day?”
When to use it: Turning the small talk back to them
What you’ll hear back: 忙しかったです。 isogashikatta desu. (It was busy.)
Words for this scene
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| お疲れさまです。 | otsukaresama desu | You must be tired / Thanks for your hard work. |
今日も残業ですか。お疲れさまです。 Overtime again today? You must be worn out. Tip: The default reply whenever work comes up; there is no English equivalent. | ||
| そうなんですか。 | sō nan desu ka | Oh really? / Is that so? |
そうなんですか。それは知りませんでした。 Oh really? I didn't know that. Tip: Say it while nodding; silence reads as boredom in Japanese chat. | ||
| 山田さんは？ | Yamada-san wa? | And you, Yamada-san? / How about you? |
私は家にいました。山田さんは？ I was at home. And you, Yamada-san? Tip: Use their name plus さん, never あなた, which sounds cold. | ||
Your objective
Tell them two things you did today, then ask how their day is going.
- one thing you did
- a second thing you did
- a question about their day
Lines that get it done
- 今日は仕事に行きました。
- 私は家にいました。山田さんは？ · I was at home. And you, Yamada-san?
- 今日はどうでしたか。
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. A coworker asks how your day was. How do you say you went to work today?
- 今日は仕事に行きました。
- 今日は仕事に行きます。
- 明日は仕事に行きました。
- 今日は仕事がいいです。
Show the answer
今日は仕事に行きました。
行きました says the trip already happened, and 今日は sets it in today.
2. How do you ask a friend how their day went?
- 今日はどうでしたか。
- 今日はどこですか。
- 今日はいくらですか。
- 今日は何時ですか。
Show the answer
今日はどうでしたか。
どうでしたか asks how something was; the others ask where, how much and what time.
3. Your coworker says they were at the office all day. What is the natural thing to say back?
- お疲れさまです。
- いただきます。
- おめでとうございます。
- はじめまして。
Show the answer
お疲れさまです。
お疲れさまです is the standard way to acknowledge someone's hard day.