10 Essential Japanese Words for Making Plans | Today, Tomorrow, Meet, etc.
We've gathered 10 essential N5 words that form the foundation for making plans or coordinating schedules with Japanese friends.
You can learn everything at once, from nouns indicating time to essential verbs for making plans like 'to meet' and 'to go'.
Learn the nuances for different situations along with natural example sentences frequently used in real conversations.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう | today |
| 明日 | あした | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | yesterday |
| 朝 | あさ | morning |
| 昼 | ひる | noon / daytime |
| 夜 | よる | night |
| 時間 | じかん | time |
| 会う | あう | to meet |
| 行く | いく | to go |
| 待つ | まつ | to wait |
Item by item
Reading: きょう
today
The most frequently used word when asking about or suggesting a schedule for today.
Reading: あした
tomorrow
Essential when making plans for tomorrow. In conversation, it is generally more natural to read it as 'あした'.
Reading: きのう
yesterday
Used when talking about past schedules or mentioning something that happened when you met yesterday.
Reading: あさ
morning
Mainly used when setting up morning plans. It is also frequently used in the expression 'breakfast' (朝ごはん).
Reading: ひる
noon / daytime
Refers to the time around noon, and often means 'lunch' (昼ごはん).
Reading: よる
night
Used when talking about plans for the evening or night.
Reading: じかん
time
A widely used noun when asking if someone has time or indicating how long something takes.
Reading: あう
to meet
The representative verb used when meeting people. It is often used with the particle 'に' to express 'to meet (someone)'.
Reading: いく
to go
Used when moving to a specific location. Frequently used in situations where you are heading to a meeting place.
Reading: まつ
to wait
Used when waiting for someone at a meeting place or asking someone to spare a moment.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- It is common to use the particle 'に' before '会う' (to meet) to express 'meeting someone'. (e.g., 友達に会う)
- Nouns indicating time (今日, 明日, 昨日, etc.) are often used as they are without attaching the particle 'に'. (e.g., 明日行きます)
- When using '行く' (to go), it is natural to use it with the particle 'に' or 'へ' indicating the destination.
Common mistakes
Learners often make the mistake of applying the rule of attaching 'に' after specific times (e.g., 3時に) to words like '今日' and '明日', incorrectly writing '今日に' or '明日に'. It is natural not to attach 'に' to relative time nouns like 'today', 'tomorrow', and 'yesterday'.
Wrong example: 明日に友達に会います。/Correct example: 明日、友達に会います。
However, words like 'morning' (朝) and 'night' (夜) can sometimes be used with 'に' depending on the context, such as '朝に' (in the morning), so there are exceptions.
Mini quiz
Which of the following is the most appropriate word to fill in the blank? '___、一緒に映画を見に行きませんか。' (Would you like to go see a movie together tomorrow?)
One-line summary
So far, we have looked at 10 essential N5 words you need when making plans. Try combining these words to set up schedules with your friends in natural Japanese!
FAQ
When using '会う', can I say '友達を会う'?
In English, we say 'meet a friend', so you might be tempted to use the object particle 'を'. However, in Japanese, it is much more natural to use the target particle 'に' when meeting a person, expressing it as '友達に会う'.
How are '朝' and '午前' different?
'朝' (あさ) refers to the everyday time period of 'morning' after the sun rises, while '午前' (ごぜん) is a slightly more objective and time-based concept meaning 'a.m.', from 12 midnight to 12 noon. In casual plans, '朝' is used more frequently.
