hétköznap

Hétköznap is a Hungarian noun that refers to the days of the working week, typically Monday through Friday, and is often contrasted with the weekend, hétvége. It can also denote the routine or ordinary aspects of daily life on those days. In plural, hétköznapok can indicate the set of working days in a week or the general experience of daily life during that period.

Etymology and scope: The word is formed from hét (week) and köznap (a day in the middle of the week; an ordinary day). The noun köznap already carries the sense of an ordinary day, while hétköznapi functions as the related adjective meaning ordinary or mundane. Thus hétköznap as weekday carries both temporal and qualitative nuance.

Usage and nuance: In calendars and schedules, hétköznap marks non-holiday, working days, in contrast to hétvége (the weekend). The term mindennap means every day, including weekends, while hétköznap stresses the working days. The adjective hétköznapi means ordinary or commonplace, and the adverbial form hétköznapian (or hétköznapi módon) describes something done in an ordinary way.

Examples: Hungarian speakers might say, "A hétköznapokon 9-től 5-ig dolgozom," meaning "On weekdays I work from 9 to 5." Another example: "A hétköznapok rutinja néha fárasztó," meaning "The routine of daily life on weekdays is sometimes exhausting." In English-language contexts, hétköznap is commonly rendered as "weekday" or "everyday."