The Meaning of mikka [三日] In Japanese

三日
みっか
Romaji: mikka N5

What does 三日 mean?

Translation and Meaning

three days, the third day of the month

Definition

三日 means three days or the third day of the month, used to indicate either a duration of three days or a calendar date.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • three-day duration
  • the third day of a month (date reference)
  • appears in compounds and idioms involving time or dates, such as 三日間

Etymology

三日 combines 三 (three) and 日 (day); the kun-reading mikka covers the native counting of days and the on-reading sannichi appears in Sino-Japanese terminology.

Origin

Origin traces to ancient Japanese counting with 日 as a day counter, influenced by the Chinese calendar and used in classical literature to denote the third day or a three-day period.

Composition

  • 三 = three
  • 日 = day, sun; together they form a unit indicating a three-day span or the third day

Usage

Used as a noun to denote either a duration of three days or the third day of a month; in spoken Japanese it appears in constructions like 三日間 for three days, 三日後 for three days later, and as a date marker in calendar references.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture three tiny 日 icons in a row on a calendar, counting off the days; the sound mikka echoes the rhythm of counting three days in a row.

Variations

  • 三日間 — (みっかかん, mikkakan) three days
  • 三日月 — (みかづき, mikazuki) crescent moon
  • さんにち — (さんにち, sannichi) Sino-Japanese reading used in compounds

Example Phrases

  • 三日ぶりに友達に会えて嬉しい、カフェで話した。
    Mikka buri ni tomodachi ni aete ureshii, kafe de hanashita.
    After three days, I was happy to meet my friend; we talked at a cafe.
    Lista:
    • 三日ぶりに (mikka buri ni) – after three days
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to my friend
    • 会えて (aete) – able to meet
    • 嬉しい (ureshii) – happy
    • カフェで (kafe de) – at a cafe
    • 話した (hanashita) – talked
    Core grammar: 「三日ぶりに」 expresses a time gap meaning ‘after three days’ using ぶり; 三日 is read みっか.
三日