月

JLPT N5

Moon, month, month period

Readings

On’yomi: ゲツ, ガツ (getsu, gatsu)

Kun’yomi: つき (tsuki)

Structure

Strokes: 4

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Detailed Explanation

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Mnemonic

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Etymology

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Visual Tip

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Vocabulary

月

つき

moon / month

来月

らいげつ

next month

今月

こんげつ

this month

毎月

まいつき

every month

月曜日

げつようび

Monday

Example Sentences

月がきれいです。

つきがきれいです。

The moon is beautiful.

来月旅行します。

らいげつりょこうします。

I will travel next month.

今月は忙しいです。

こんげつはいそがしいです。

This month is busy.

毎月給料をもらいます。

まいつききゅうりょうをもらいます。

I receive my salary every month.

月曜日に会います。

げつようびにあいます。

I will meet on Monday.

Cultural Note

The moon (月) holds a special place in Japanese culture — symbolizing beauty, impermanence, and calm reflection.
1. 🌕 Tsukimi (月見) – “moon viewing” is a traditional autumn festival where people admire the full moon (usually in September or October), decorate with pampas grass (すすき), and eat 団子 (だんご) — round rice dumplings symbolizing the full moon.
It’s similar to India’s appreciation of the moon during festivals like Karva Chauth — peaceful, reflective, and family-centered.
2. 🌙 月 often appears in poetry and literature (like haiku) to express elegance, nostalgia, and fleeting beauty — a key idea in “wabi-sabi” (侘び寂び) aesthetics.
3. In everyday language, 月 connects time and nature:
o お月様 (おつきさま) – polite, affectionate way to refer to “the moon.”
o 月給 (げっきゅう) – monthly salary.
o 先月・来月・毎月 – reflect how the moon’s cycle governs time.
In short, 月 is both scientific (marking months) and spiritual (symbolizing beauty and change).