JavaScript getDay()

getDay() returns the weekday for a JavaScript Date in local time: 0 for Sunday through 6 for Saturday.

const date = new Date(2026, 8, 10);
console.log(date.getDay()); // 4 (Thursday)

Use getDate() instead when you need the numbered day within the month.

getDay() Syntax and Weekday Numbers Top ↑

const weekday = date.getDay();

The returned values are Sunday 0, Monday 1, Tuesday 2, Wednesday 3, Thursday 4, Friday 5 and Saturday 6.

Convert getDay() to a Weekday Name Top ↑

const weekdays = ["Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"];
const name = weekdays[date.getDay()];
console.log(name);

Locale-Aware Weekday Names Top ↑

For user-facing text, locale formatting avoids maintaining your own weekday-name array.

const name = date.toLocaleDateString("en-US", { weekday: "long" });
console.log(name);

Check Whether a Date Is a Weekend Top ↑

const day = date.getDay();
const isWeekend = day === 0 || day === 6;

Weekend definitions vary by region and business rules, so do not hardcode Saturday/Sunday when your application serves a different calendar convention.

getDay() vs getUTCDay() Top ↑

const localWeekday = date.getDay();
const utcWeekday = date.getUTCDay();

The two can differ when local time and UTC fall on different calendar days.

Using getDay() in Calendar Projects Top ↑

Weekday numbers are useful for recurring calendar rules. See the second Saturday example and the weekday project.

Common getDay() Mistakes Top ↑

• Expecting 1–7 instead of 0–6.
• Confusing weekday with the day of the month.
• Assuming every region defines weekends the same way.
• Ignoring UTC/local differences close to midnight.

← getDate() Date Reference

Subhendu Mohapatra

Author & Instructor at plus2net

I write and maintain practical tutorials on Python, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, jQuery, and web development at plus2net. The tutorials focus on clear explanations, working examples, and code that readers can test and adapt while learning.

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