futsuka

Futsuka (ふつか) is the standard Japanese reading of the kanji 二日 and has multiple related meanings. It designates the second day of the month when used as a date, for example 二月二日 is read ni-gatsu futsuka, meaning the 2nd of February. It also denotes a time span of two days in compounds such as 二日間, read futsuka-kan. The two-day reading is part of a system of irregular day names used for calendar dates in Japanese.

In the first ten days of the month, several days have irregular readings: 1st is tsuitachi, 2nd futsuka, 3rd mikka, 4th yokka, 5th itsuka, 6th muika, 7th nanoka, 8th youka, 9th kokonoka, 10th touka. Other irregulars include 14th juuyokka, 20th hatsuka, and 24th nijuyokka. The rest of the days use combinations of numbers with the word nichi.

In common usage, futsuka appears in phrases such as futsukayoi (二日酔い), meaning a hangover. It may also appear in historical or literary contexts reflecting traditional date naming.