五日
いつか · itsuka · JLPT N5 · noun
days
📅 五日 = five (五, itsu) + day (日, ka): the fifth day, or five days
Itsu is the native Japanese root for five, as in itsutsu (five things). Ka is the old native counter for days, also heard in futsuka (2nd) and mikka (3rd). Sound check: itsuka also means someday, so someday falls on the fifth.
五 — two horizontal lines + crossed strokes
五 originally depicted two parallel lines (heaven and earth) with an X between them, representing the interaction of the five elements. Over time it became the standard numeral for 'five.' The ancient form 㐅 (just the X) was later framed by the two lines to distinguish it clearly as a number.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.