来週（らいしゅう、raishuu）
- next week

The Japanese word 来週 (らいしゅう) means "next week." It refers to the week immediately following the current week.

⚫︎来週、友達と映画を見に行きます。 Translation: I will go to see a movie with my friend next week. ⚫︎来週の月曜日に会議があります。 Translation: There is a meeting next Monday.

You can use 来週 in various situations to talk about future events that will happen in the coming week. ⚫︎It's commonly used when making plans, scheduling appointments, or discussing future activities. ⚫︎You can use it in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎来週 is written in kanji as 来週 and read as らいしゅう. ⚫︎The hiragana らいしゅう is also commonly used. ⚫︎There are no significant variations in okurigana.

There are no direct synonyms for "next week" in Japanese that carry the exact same meaning. Instead, you might rephrase the sentence.

The antonym of 来週 is 先週 (せんしゅう), meaning "last week."

来週から新しいプロジェクトが始まります。 ・Translation: A new project will start next week. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 来週 to specify the start time of a new project.

来週は試験がありますから、勉強しなければなりません。 ・Translation: I have an exam next week, so I have to study. ・Explanation: This sentence utilizes 来週 to indicate the timeframe for an upcoming exam.

The word 来週 is a compound word. 来 (らい) means "coming" or "next," and 週 (しゅう) means "week." Therefore, 来週 literally translates to "coming week" or "next week."