day, sun, Japan, counter for days
日 centers on the sun and the day it defines: the bright celestial body, the period of daylight, and by extension the concept of a full day. The Japan sense is a cultural application of the sun symbol, and the counter for days follows naturally from the day meaning.
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally a circle with a dot or line inside. The modern squared form with a central horizontal stroke is a stylized version of that ancient sun image.
The rectangular outline is the sun's disk, and the horizontal stroke inside is its bright center. See 日 as a simple drawing of the sun, which gives us day and light.
For ニチ, imagine a sunny day perfect for a picnic with a niche cheese: niche -> ニチ, and the sun shines on your day out.
day; days
Sunday
Japan
today; this day
tomorrow
every day; daily
yesterday
Japanese person
Japanese (language)
hello; good day; good afternoon
everyday; daily; ordinary; usual; routine; regular
today; this day
day in question; appointed day; that very day; the day (of issue, publication, etc.)
daily; everyday
weekday; ordinary days (i.e. non-holiday)
diary; journal
holiday; day off
the other day; a few days ago
Sunday
Sunday
previous day; day before; eve; prior day; preceding day
next day
Saturday
morning sun
date and time (of a meeting, departure, etc.)
Friday
weekend; Saturday and Sunday
Monday
schedule; program; programme; agenda
Nikkei (newspaper, share index)
first day; opening day
resident in Japan (of a foreigner); situated in Japan (e.g. of an embassy)
date; dating
in the future; another day; later
Japan's best; number one in Japan
national holiday; public holiday
China and Japan; Chinese-Japanese; Sino-Japanese
Wednesday
Tuesday
western Japan (usu. Chūbu region and westward)
coming to Japan; visit to Japan; arrival in Japan
daily publication; daily issue
sunny place; in the sun
daily output
Thursday
sunburn; suntan; tan
sunlight; sunshine; sunbeams
day of the week
usually; habitually; always
anti-Japanese
the same day
all of Japan; the whole of Japan
number of days
day after day; every day
weather; climatic conditions
Sea of Japan
(of) Japanese descent
(on) the same day
changing every day
half day
journal; log
day after tomorrow
day before yesterday
sunrise
daily report
fixed date; appointed date; set date
day trip
birth date; date of birth; DOB
New Year's Eve
evening sun; setting sun
date (of a planned event, act, etc.); day
sunlight; rays of the Sun
crescent moon; young moon
red or gold circle representing the Sun
daily wages
time; years; days; (one's) life
month and day (of the year); (the) date
day by day; by the day
daily routine; daily work; daily lesson
visit to Japan
shade; shadow
all day; for a whole day
soon; in a few days
sunset
pro-Japanese
sunlight
anniversary of a person's death; monthly return of the date of someone's death
both days; two days
parasol (esp. one carried in the hand); sunshade
Bank of Japan; BOJ
solar eclipse
last day (of a month)
all days
New Year's Day
date (year, month and day)
day and night; around the clock; always; constantly
sunlight
sunbathing; basking in the sun
national holiday; festival day
exposure to the sun; sunny place
twilight; sunset; dusk; evening
resistance against Japanese aggression; anti-Japanese (campaign, movement, etc.)
fixed date; appointed day
sunset
day by day
last day of the month
10th day of the month
11th day of the month
12th day of the month
13th day of the month
14th day of the month
15th day of the month
16th day of the month
17th day of the month
18th day of the month
19th day of the month
first day of the month; the first of the month
20th day of the month
21st day of the month
22nd day of the month
23rd day of the month
24th day of the month
25th day of the month
26th day of the month
27th day of the month
28th day of the month
29th day of the month
2nd day of the month
30th day of the month
31st day of the month
3rd day of the month
4th day of the month
5th day of the month
6th day of the month
7th day of the month
8th day of the month
9th day of the month
next day; following day
birthday
happy birthday
one day
all day long; all the day; throughout the day
49th day after death
second week's memorial services
220th day; end of the storm period
210th day (from the first day of spring according to the lunar calendar); the storm day
these days; nowadays; recently
modern; up-to-date
what day
the full-day (school system)
past days; bygone days; days of yore; the olden days
regular holiday; fixed day off; regular closing day
toward Japan; with Japan
(for) how many days
anti-Japanese
few days
daytime; during the day
everyday life; daily life
throughout Japan
Japanese company (business, firm)
all over Japan; throughout Japan
Japanese sword (usu. single-edged and curved); Japanese bladed weapon
first (of its kind) in Japan
Japanese history; history of Japan
Japanese citizen; (the) Japanese
Science Council of Japan
Japanese style
Japanese government
Japanese cooking; Japanese cuisine
Japanese-style painting; picture in Japanese style; nihon-ga
Japanese society
Japanese paper; washi
Japanese economy
made in Japan; Japanese-made
sake (rice wine); saké
sunscreen; sunblock; sun cream; suntan lotion
daily necessities; everyday item
Japan and the United States; Japanese-American
Japan and South Korea; Japanese-Korean
in three days' time; two days after tomorrow
almost every day; almost daily
payday; pay day
memorial day; commemoration day; anniversary
birthday
resident in Japan (of a foreign ambassador, government official, etc.)