Python strftime directive %a
Abbreviated weekday name in the current locale.
Example (from datetime(2026, 6, 18, 13, 45, 30))
Thu
Output depends on the active locale; in Python it follows the process locale (
locale.setlocale). This page and the tester show the C/English value.In Python
from datetime import datetime
dt = datetime(2026, 6, 18, 13, 45, 30)
dt.strftime("%a")
# => "Thu"Parsing with strptime
Parses an abbreviated weekday name (locale-dependent). See strptime.dev for the parsing side.