Japanese Months – Learn Japanese Names For Months

みなさん、こんにちは！

おげんきですか。

So, throughout this guide, we’re going to explore how to say the months in Japanese. 

You might already know that in Japan, they don’t say January, February, or March like we do in English. They have their own words for the names of the Months. 

But don’t worry—there’s a super easy way to remember how to say the months in Japanese, and it’s so simple and interesting that you’ll probably wonder why you weren’t born in Japan! 😄

In this article, we’ll learn the Japanese name for each month, how to write it in Japanese Kanji or Hiragana, and we’ll also show you how to use these names in your daily life conversations with example sentences.

Ready?

Let’s get started!

How to say months in Japanese

Saying the months in Japanese is quite simple! In Japanese, you just need to know the order of the months, such as 1 for January, 2 for February, and 12 for December. All you have to do is add 月 (gatsu) after the corresponding month number.

So, this way, January is called 一月 (いちがつ / ichi-gatsu) in japanese. 

Here, the Kanji 月 has several pronunciations and meanings. It can be pronounced as げつ (getsu), がつ (gatsu), or つき (tsuki). 

While つき (tsuki) usually means “moon,” in the context of months, we use the pronunciation gatsu.

So, for months, you use gatsu—which fits perfectly with the idea that the moon cycle roughly corresponds to a month. 

Here’s a table showing the Japanese names for the months:

When talking about certain months like April, July, and September in Japanese, you might encounter a few specific terms that are a bit different from the usual pattern. Here is a detailed breakdown:

• For April, we use 四月 (しがつ, shigatsu). Even though 四 is pronounced よん(yon) for “four,” in the context of months, we say しがつ (shigatsu) instead of　よんがつ　(yon-gatsu).
  
• July is called 七月 (しちがつ, shichigatsu). Although 七 is pronounced nana for “seven,” we use しちがつ (shichigatsu) instead of なながつ (nana-gatsu) for months.
  
• For September, we use 九月 (くがつ、kugatsu). While 九 is pronounced kyuu for “nine,” in the context of months, we say くがつ (kugatsu) rather than きゅうがつ(kyuu-gatsu). 

Using Japanese Months in Daily Life

Understanding how to use Japanese months in everyday conversation is key to navigating daily life in Japan or interacting with Japanese speakers. Here’s how you can incorporate Japanese month names into your conversations and written communication:

Example Sentences Using Japanese Months

Here are a few example sentences that show how you can use Japanese months in different contexts:

English: My birthday is in April.

Japanese: 私の誕生日は四月です [わたしのたんじょうびはしがつです]

Romaji: Watashi no tanjoubi wa shigatsu desu.

English: I went to Japan in October.

Japanese: 私は十月に日本に行きました [わたしはじゅうがつににほんにいきました]

Romaji: Watashi wa juu-gatsu ni Nihon ni ikimashita.

How to Say This Month, Next Month, and Last Month in Japanese

Here’s how you can talk about “this month,” “next month,” and “last month” in Japanese:

How to Say This Month in Japanese

To refer to the current month, use 今月 (こんげつ, kongetsu). 

For example, if you want to say ‘This month is very busy’, you would say: 今月はとても忙しいです [こんげつはとてもいそがしいです / Kongetsu wa totemo isogashii desu.]

How to Say Next Month in Japanese

When talking about the upcoming month, use 来月 (らいげつ / raigetsu).

For example, if you would like to say  ‘Next month is my exam’, you would say: 来月は試験です[らいげつはしけんです / Raigetsu wa shiken desu]

How to Say Last Month in Japanese

And for referring to the previous month, we use 先月 (せんげつ / sengetsu).

For example, to say ‘Last month was September’ in Japanese, you can say: 先月は九月でした。[せんげつはくがつでした / Sengetsu wa kugatsu deshita.]

How to Ask Which Month in Japanese?

To ask about a specific month in Japanese, you can use the word 何月 (なんがつ / nangatsu), which means “what month.” So, if you want to find out which month is someone’s birthday, you can simply ask, 誕生日は何月ですか？[たんじょうびはなんがつですか / tanjoubi wa nangatsu desu ka]

And you may get reply like, くがつ　です。Means their birthday is in September.

How to Say “One Month,” “Two Months,” … “Eleven Months” in Japanese

In Japanese, if you want to talk about time durations in terms of months, you use specific phrases for “one month,” “two months,” …. “Eleven months.” etc. Here’s how you say them:

When talking about months as durations in Japanese, you’ll notice some unique pronunciations that differ slightly from how we say the months themselves. Let’s take a closer look at some specific cases:

• 一か月 (Ikkagetsu) – One month: In this case, the number “one” (一, ichi) is combined with か月 (kagetsu), which means “month.” Instead of saying いちかげつ (ichikagetsu), the pronunciation changes to いっかげつ (ikkagetsu) for smoother pronunciation. This type of change is common in Japanese to make the language flow more naturally.
  
• 六か月 (Rokkagetsu) – Six months: Similarly, for six months, instead of saying ろくかげつ (rokukagetsu), it’s pronounced as ろっかげつ (rokkagetsu).
  
• 四か月 (よんかげつ / Yonkagetsu) and 七か月 (ななかげつ / Nanakagetsu): Even though when saying the months of the year, we use　しがつ shigatsu (April) and しちがつ shichigatsu (July), when talking about durations, the numbers four and seven revert to their more common pronunciations of よん (yon) and なな (nana). So, instead of saying shikagetsu or shichikagetsu, it becomes yonkagetsu and nanakagetsu.

How to Say the First Day and Last Day of a Month in Japanese

In Japanese, saying the first and last days of a month involves specific terms that are quite different from how we say other days.

First Day of the Month: 一日 (ついたち / Tsuitachi)

Unlike most dates where you combine the number with the word “day” (日, nichi), the first day of the month has a special word: 一日 (tsuitachi). This term is unique and does not follow the typical pattern used for other days.

Example:

• “Today is the first day of the month.”
  今日は一日です。
  (きょうはついたちです。Kyou wa tsuitachi desu.)

Last Day of the Month: 月末 (Getsumatsu) – Last Day of the Month

To refer to the last day of the month, the term 月末 (げつまつ / getsumatsu) is often used. However, if you’re specifically referring to the 30th or 31st, you would just use the regular number with “day” (日, nichi), such as 三十日 (sanjuu-nichi) or 三十一日 (sanjuu-ichi-nichi).

Example:

• “Today is the last day of the month.”
  今日は月末です。
  (きょうはげつまつです。Kyou wa getsumatsu desu.)

So, this was all about talking about months in Japanese. Keep practicing and using these Japanese phrases in your conversations. The more you practice, the easier it will become. Explore more study materials, Happy learning, and enjoy your Japanese language journey!