Think about how often you refer to the months of the year in your daily life. Birthdays, appointments, holidays, billing cycles, and travel plans are all dictated by days and months—including travel plans to Japan! The months of the year in Japanese are essential vocabulary for any Japanese learner, but you’ll be pleased to find how straightforward they can be.
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How do months work in Japan?
Modern Japan follows the Gregorian calendar used by the majority of the world. However, the names of the months in Japanese did not copy the Roman-based names of the months we use in English. Instead, the months are simply numbered. January is “Month 1,” February is “Month 2,” and so on. How convenient!
What are the months of the year in Japanese?
The months in Japanese follow a simple formula: the number of the month followed by “gatsu” (月, month), with just a few exceptions. Once you know numbers in Japanese, the names of the months will come naturally.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 一月 | ichigatsu | ee-chee-gah-tsoo | January |
| 二月 | nigatsu | nee-gah-tsoo | February |
| 三月 | sangatsu | sahn-gah-tsoo | March |
| 四月 | shigatsu | shee-gah-tsoo | April |
| 五月 | gogatsu | goh-gah-tsoo | May |
| 六月 | rokugatsu | roh-koo-gah-tsoo | June |
| 七月 | shichigatsu | shee-chee-gah-tsoo | July |
| 八月 | hachigatsu | hah-chee-gah-tsoo | August |
| 九月 | kugatsu | koo-gah-tsoo | September |
| 十月 | jūgatsu | joo-gah-tsoo | October |
| 十一月 | jūichigatsu | joo-ee-chee-gah-tsoo | November |
| 十二月 | jūnigatsu | joo-nee-gah-tsoo | December |
The only irregular pronunciations are for April, July, and September.
- April: Use shi instead of yon for “four”
- July: Use shichi instead of nana for “seven” (although “nanagatsu” is also acceptable)
- September: Use ku instead of kyū for “nine”
There are two choices when deciding how to write the months of the year in Japanese. You can either write the Japanese kanji numbers in front of gatsu (月) or use Arabic numerals instead, as in:
- ichigatsu: 一月 or １月
- nigatsu: 二月 or ２月
How to count months in Japanese
Planning a few months ahead takes just a little more effort. Counting months in Japanese is similar to the names of the months themselves with only one additional kanji character between the number and the character for “month.” The main difference is that instead of gatsu, the character is read as getsu.
The Japanese counter for months requires a few different pronunciations than those used for the names of the months:
- one month: ichi (いち) becomes i followed by a small tsu (いっ)
- six months: roku (ろく) becomes ro followed by a small tsu (ろっ)
- eight months: hachi (はち) becomes ha followed by a small tsu (はっ)
- ten months: jū (じゅう) becomes ju followed by a small tsu (じゅっ)
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 一か月 | ikkagetsu | eek-kah-geh-tsoo | one month |
| 二か月 | nikagetsu | nee-kah-geh-tsoo | two months |
| 三か月 | sankagetsu | sahn-kah-geh-tsoo | three months |
| 四か月 | yonkagetsu | yohn-kah-geh-tsoo | four months |
| 五か月 | gokagetsu | goh-kah-geh-tsoo | five months |
| 六か月 | rokkagetsu | rohk-kah-geh-tsoo | six months |
| 七か月 | nanakagetsu | nah-nah-kah-geh-tsoo | seven months |
| 八か月 | hakkagetsu | hahk-kah-geh-tsoo | eight months |
| 九か月 | kyūkagetsu | kyoo-kah-geh-tsoo | nine months |
| 十か月 | jukkagetsu | jook-kah-geh-tsoo | ten months |
| 十一か月 | jūikkagetsu | joo-eek-kah-geh-tsoo | eleven months |
| 十二か月 | jūnikagetsu | joo-nee-kah-geh-tsoo | twelve months |
| 何か月 | nankagetsu | nahn-kah-geh-tsoo | How many months? |
The standard spelling uses the hiragana character ka (か), as written in the chart above (～か月). However, the counter for months can also be written the following ways, all reading as kagetsu, with the ～ mark signifying the number of the month:
- ～箇月
- ～個月
- ～カ月
- ～ヵ月
- ～ケ月
- ～ヶ月
This variety of ways to say “ka” comes from the original counter used to count items: 箇. In modern Japanese, this character is used in legal or official documents, while its modern variant 個 is predominantly used elsewhere when a kanji character is used at all. The katakana character for ke (ケ) seems counterintuitive, as it’s still pronounced “ka” in this situation, but its use is based on its visual similarity to the abbreviation for the kanji 箇: 个.
While all variants are technically correct, a simple ka in hiragana is used in most cases to avoid confusion, and it has become the standard in Japanese language reporting.
Is it gatsu or getsu for “month” in Japanese?
Both! The pronunciation of the word “month” and its character change based on how the word is being used, which is a common occurrence with kanji. When talking about a month of the year, it’s pronounced gatsu. When counting months, it’s getsu. The same character is used in other words—such as Monday in the days of the week—but those are the two most important situations to remember for the word “month.”
The 月 character itself means “moon.” The readings gatsu and getsu are the on’yomi readings, meaning they’re based on the original Chinese words. When the character is used as the entire word, it uses the kun’yomi reading based on the native Japanese word: tsuki (moon).
What are the seasons in Japanese?
Seasons are a central element of Japanese holidays, so the word of the current season is found everywhere in Japan. Whether the topic is summer vacation (natsuyasumi, 夏休み) or cherry blossom viewing (hanami, 花見), the seasons are worth knowing.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 春 | haru | hah-roo | spring |
| 夏 | natsu | nah-tsoo | summer |
| 秋 | aki | ah-kee | fall |
| 冬 | fuyu | foo-yoo | winter |
| 春夏秋冬 | shunkashūtō | shoon-kah-shoo-toh | the four seasons |
The most notable Japanese holidays and cultural events surrounding the time of year include the following:
- Spring: Hinamatsuri (雛祭り, Girl’s Day or Doll’s Day), Shunbun no Hi (春分の日, Vernal Equinox Day)
- Summer: Umi no Hi (海の日, Ocean Day), Tanabata (七夕, Star Festival)
- Fall: Appreciating kōyō (紅葉, autumnal foliage), Shūbun no Hi (Autumnal Equinox Day)
- Winter: Oshōgatsu (お正月, New Year), Seijin no Hi (成人の日, Coming of Age Day)
What are the old names of the months in Japanese?
Before Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 19th century, there were different names for the months called wafū getsumei (和風月名, Japanese month names) that were based on a luni-solar calendar. Originally, the calendar was borrowed from China, but Japan eventually created its own. These months were based around the seasons and events of the year (e.g., rice planting was done in late spring).
Over time, the moon’s cycles inevitably become unsynced from the solar year. Like other luni-solar calendars around the world, a 13th month was added every few years to maintain consistent seasons on the calendar.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 睦月 | mutsuki | moo-tsoo-kee | month of harmony (January) |
| 如月・衣更着 | kisaragi | kee-sah-rah-gee | month of wearing extra layers of clothes (February) |
| 弥生 | yayoi | yah-yoh-ee | month of growth (March) |
| 卯月 | uzuki | oo-zoo-kee | month when unohana (deutzia flowers) are in bloom (April) |
| 皐月・早月 | satsuki | sah-tsoo-kee | month of planting rice sprouts (May) |
| 水無月 | minazuki | mee-nah-zoo-kee | month of water (June) |
| 文月 | fumizuki/fuzuki | foo-mee-zoo-kee/foo-zoo-kee | month of letters (July) |
| 葉月 | hazuki | hah-zoo-kee | month of leaves (August) |
| 長月 | nagatsuki | nah-gah-tsoo-kee | lengthening month (September) |
| 神無月 | kannazuki | kahn-nah-zoo-kee | month of gods (October) |
| 霜月 | shimotsuki | shee-moh-tsoo-kee | month of frost (November) |
| 師走 | shiwasu | shee-wah-soo | month of busy priests (December) |
| 閏年 | uruudoshi | oo-roo-doh-shee | leap year (13th month) |
The traditional Japanese calendar also includes a further division of six “solar terms” within each of the four seasons to create a total of 24. These are known as the nijūyon sekki (二十四節気, 24 solar terms). Most are no longer recognized in modern Japan, but a few are, such as the equinoxes and solstices.
How to write the Japanese months of the year in sentences
Using Japanese months in sentences revolves heavily around what Japanese particle follows it. Take a look at these example sentences to see how their use changes.
Examples sentences with gatsu
If the month goes before the “to be” verb, then you don’t need a particle at all!
- Ima wa jūnigatsu desu.（今は十二月です。）= It’s December now.
When the month or date is the topic or subject of the sentence, then putting it at the beginning of the sentence with particle wa (は) is appropriate.
- Ichigatsu wa samui desu.（一月は寒いです。） = January is cold.
When you’re using the month as a date, particle ni (に) is used for specific time.
- Shigatsu ni sakura ga miemasu.（四月に桜が見えます。） = You can see cherry blossoms in April.
Examples sentences with getsu
Using months as a counter with getsu is done to describe lengths of time or frequency. To say something has been “for [number of] months,” then the suffix -kan (間) is added—no particle required!
- Hakkagetsukan nihon ni ryūgaku shita.（八か月間日本に留学した。）= I studied abroad in Japan for eight months.
Otherwise, if you’re saying something was done a certain number of times per month (or several months), particle ni is used again.
- Ikkagetsu ni nannichi nihongo o benkyō shimasu ka?（一か月に何日日本語を勉強しますか？）= How many days per month do you study Japanese?
Mastering how to use the Japanese months of the year correctly is so helpful in nearly any situation from work to travel. And if you’re working with a Japanese tutor who checks on your progress, you’ll be able to proudly use the months of the year in Japanese now!
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