Excel WEEKDAY Function
Chala mitrano — today WEEKDAY. Ask Excel which day of the week a date is — as a number you can test in IF.
चला मित्रांनो — आज WEEKDAY. तारीख आठवड्याचा कोणता दिवस आहे ते संख्या म्हणून विचारा.
चलो दोस्तों — आज WEEKDAY. तारीख हफ़्ते का कौन सा दिन है — संख्या में पूछो.
Purpose
Return a weekday number for a date (Sunday- or Monday-based systems).
Return value
A number (depends on return_type).
Syntax
Arguments
| Argument | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|
serial_number | Required | A date. |
return_type | Optional | 1 (default) Sun=1…Sat=7; 2 Mon=1…Sun=7; 3 Mon=0…Sun=6. |
Version
All Excel versions. LibreOffice WEEKDAY too.
How to use — Why → What → How
Why: Rosters and overtime rules depend on weekday. Numbers work inside IF; names are for display. Rosters in Kolhapur shops and Toronto call centres flag Sundays. In Indian back offices and foreign sister teams, WEEKDAY shows up on leave, SLA and invoice sheets every week.
What: WEEKDAY returns a code for the day. Pick return_type so Sunday/Monday numbering matches your country habit. Read every argument in the table once before you type; each one changes the answer on purpose.
How — numbered steps:
- Type =WEEKDAY(A2,2) for Mon=1.
- Use IF to flag 6 and 7 as weekend in type 2.
- Use TEXT when you need ‘Sat’ as text.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, after you learn WEEKDAY, open a real schedule sheet and find one cell this function would fix this week.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, WEEKDAY शिकून झाल्यावर खरी schedule sheet उघडा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, WEEKDAY सीखने के बाद असली schedule sheet खोलो.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, sleep on WEEKDAY and rebuild example 1 tomorrow without looking.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, WEEKDAY वर एक रात्र झोपा आणि उद्या उदाहरण 1 न पाहता पुन्हा लिहा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, WEEKDAY पर एक रात सोकर कल उदाहरण 1 बिना देखे फिर लिखो.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, say the business question in plain words before =WEEKDAY.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, =WEEKDAY आधी प्रश्न साध्या शब्दांत सांगा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, =WEEKDAY से पहले सवाल सादे शब्दों में बोलो.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, after you finish WEEKDAY, open yesterday’s real workbook and find one place this function would have saved ten minutes. That habit turns lessons into salary skills.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, WEEKDAY शिकून झाल्यावर कालची खरी वर्कबुक उघडा आणि शोधा जिथे हे फंक्शन दहा मिनिटे वाचवू शकले असते.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, WEEKDAY सीखने के बाद कल की असली वर्कबुक खोलो और ढूँढो जहाँ यह फ़ंक्शन दस मिनट बचा सकता था.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
Friends, treat WEEKDAY like a seatbelt on date sheets — use it before a manager asks why the deadline slipped.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
मित्रांनो, WEEKDAY ला date sheets वरील seatbelt समजा — manager विचारण्यापूर्वी वापरा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
दोस्तों, WEEKDAY को date sheets पर seatbelt समझो — manager पूछे उससे पहले इस्तेमाल करो.
Download practice file: practice-weekday.xlsx (includes sheet About this data, practice sheets, and Answers).
Worked examples
1) Default type
31 Oct 2026 Saturday.
| Date |
|---|
| 2026-10-31 |
Result: 7
What it means: Type 1: Saturday = 7.
2) Monday=1
India-friendly.
| Date |
|---|
| 2026-10-31 |
Result: 6
What it means: Saturday = 6 when Mon=1.
3) Weekend flag
Kolhapur roster.
| Date | ₹ OT |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-31 | 300 |
Result: Weekend
What it means: Sat/Sun when type 2.
4) Monday check
Toronto stand-up.
| Date | $ |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | 0 |
Result: 1
What it means: 26 Oct 2026 is Monday → 1.
5) Name via TEXT
Label.
| Date |
|---|
| 2026-10-31 |
Result: Sat
What it means: TEXT for names; WEEKDAY for logic.
6) Type 3
Mon=0 system.
| Date |
|---|
| 2026-10-26 |
Result: 0
What it means: Monday → 0.
Common errors and fixes
Notes and tips
- Revisit WEEKDAY errors after quiz.
- Build one example from memory.
- Check formats if wrong.
- Teach a tip in Marathi/Hindi.
- Keep currency consistent in one column.
- Note version fallbacks.
- Drill: flag weekends on a 7-day roster without peeking.
- WEEKDAY vs TEXT: WEEKDAY is a number; TEXT(date,"ddd") is a name.
- Fictional data only.
- Print WEEKDAY revision card.
- Predict before Enter.
- Track top mistake monthly.
- Rosters in Kolhapur shops and Toronto call centres flag Sundays.
- Dates are serials.
- Verify on a known calendar.
- Print the revision card for WEEKDAY and stick it near your monitor for one week of real worksheets.
- When helping a junior, ask them to predict the result before pressing Enter — prediction builds judgement.
- Keep a personal notebook of the one mistake you make most often with this function; review it monthly.
- Share one tip from this page with a classmate in Marathi or Hindi — teaching locks the idea.
- If a result looks wrong, check date formats and regional settings before changing the formula.
- Date serial numbers are how Excel stores dates — formatting only changes the display.
- Share one tip from this page with a classmate in Marathi or Hindi — teaching locks the idea.
- Keep currency symbols consistent inside a single report column even when practice mixes ₹ $ £ € across examples.
- Classroom habit: after WEEKDAY, open yesterday’s real workbook and find one place this function saves time.
- For interviews, explain why calendar days and working days differ on a project that crosses a weekend.
In real work
Drill: flag weekends on a 7-day roster without peeking. Rosters in Kolhapur shops and Toronto call centres flag Sundays. Classroom drill: write three brand-new WEEKDAY formulas on a blank sheet using names from your own city — if you can invent them without the page open, you own the skill. Then break one formula on purpose and watch the error; recovering from that break is half of interview readiness. Always verify with a known calendar date before trusting a long chain of date formulas. Keep a personal notebook of the one mistake you make most often with this function; review it monthly. When Excel versions differ at home and in class, write the fallback formula under the modern one in a comment cell.
How it compares
WEEKDAY vs TEXT: number for logic vs name for labels.
Interview corner
- Type 1 vs 2?
- Sun=1 vs Mon=1.
- Weekend IF?
- Type 2 and >=6.
- Name vs number?
- TEXT vs WEEKDAY.
Related functions
Practice tasks (10)
- Task 1. WEEKDAY of 31-Oct-2026 default.Type1.
- Task 2. Same with type 2.Mon=1.
- Task 3. Weekend IF flag.IF.
- Task 4. Monday 26 Oct check.1.
- Task 5. Show Sat via TEXT.ddd.
- Task 6. Document return_type choice.Note.
- Task 7. Type 3 for Monday.0.
- Task 8. Explain type mismatch bugs.Interview.
- Task 9. Fill a week column.Fill.
- Task 10. Bonus: count Sundays with SUMPRODUCT idea.Advanced.
Quick quiz
Answers: Q1=1, Q2=2, Q3=WEEKDAY number, Q4=6, Q5=TEXT (check after you try).
Revision card
Standalone card (no tip or photo strip). QR opens this lesson. Download the PNG and revise offline.
