月
月 means ‘moon’ and ‘month.’ Its shape depicts a crescent moon. Because the traditional Japanese calendar was lunar, the same kanji represents both the moon and months of the year.
Reading
On’yomi:
ゲツ (GETSU)、
ガツ (GATSU)
Kun’yomi:
つき (tsuki)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 月 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | moon, month |
| Stroke Count | 4 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
How to Understand This Kanji
月 is used for the moon itself (満月, full moon), for months of the year (一月, 二月…), and for Monday (月曜日, literally ‘moon day’). The lunar calendar origin explains this triple role.
Common Words
-
月
（つき）
— moon -
月曜日
（げつようび）
— Monday -
今月
（こんげつ）
— this month -
毎月
（まいつき）
— every month -
一月
（いちがつ）
— January -
月見
（つきみ）
— moon viewing (autumn tradition)
Example Sentences
-
月が綺麗ですね。
つきがきれいですね。
The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?
-
今月はテストがあります。
こんげつはテストがあります。
I have a test this month.
-
月曜日から仕事が始まります。
げつようびからしごとがはじまります。
Work starts on Monday.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
月 is essential for dates and months. Japanese months use the number + 月 pattern: 一月 (January), 二月 (February), and so on up to 十二月 (December). Monday (月曜日) literally means ‘moon day,’ just like ‘Monday’ in English.
Summary
月 means ‘moon’ and ‘month’ and is indispensable for expressing dates, months, and days of the week.
| Kanji | 月 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | moon, month |
| On’yomi | ゲツ、ガツ (GETSU, GATSU) |
| Kun’yomi | つき (tsuki) |
| Strokes | 4 |
| JLPT | N5 |