三日

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 三月三日はひな祭りです。▶ —
   March 3 is Hina-matsuri.
2. 三日間京都に滞在した。▶ —
   I stayed in Kyoto for three days.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Mikka (三日) means "the 3rd of a month" and "three days" — 三 (mi) + 日 (ka). The 日 reading splits: days 1–10 take native Yamato-kotoba numerals with -ka (tsuitachi 1st — etymology "tsuki-tachi" the new moon arising; futsuka 2nd; mikka 3rd; yokka 4th; itsuka 5th; muika 6th; nanoka 7th; youka 8th; kokonoka 9th; touka 10th); 11 onward switches to on-yomi -nichi (juuichi-nichi). "March 3rd = san-gatsu mikka" is Hina-matsuri (Doll Festival), a girls' health rite featuring hina-ningyou (display dolls), momo no hana (peach blossoms), amazake (sweet sake), chirashi-zushi (scattered sushi). Idiom: mikka bouzu (三日坊主, "three-day monk") describes someone who quits after three days — equivalent to Korean "jak-sim-sam-il" or Chinese "san tian da yu liang tian shai wang." The 1–10 native readings preserve a historical Yamato layer of Japanese.

Quick check

1. Meaning of mikka bouzu (三日坊主)?

   • Quitting in three days (a "three-day monk")
   • Monk enlightened in three days
   • Three-day fast
   • Three-day meditation