月 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

月: moon; month; Monday. JLPT N5; 4 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ゲツ、ガツ

Kun readings

つき

Romaji

getsu, gatsu, tsuki

Study notes

月 means 'moon' and 'month'; it appears in month names and in 月曜日 (げつようび, Monday).

On readings: ガツ with the numbers of the months of the year: 一月 (いちがつ, January), 四月 (しがつ, April), 七月 (しちがつ, July), 九月 (くがつ, September); also 正月 (しょうがつ, New Year's Day). ゲツ in 今月 (こんげつ, this month), 来月 (らいげつ, next month), 先月 (せんげつ, last month), 月曜日 (げつようび, Monday), 月収 (げっしゅう, monthly income). To count months one uses 〜か月 (かげつ): 三か月 (さんかげつ, three months).

Kun reading: つき, 'moon, month': 月見 (つきみ, moon viewing), 毎月 (まいつき, monthly), 一月 (ひとつき, one month duration).

Special readings: 五月雨 (さみだれ, beginning of summer rain) and 海月 (くらげ, jellyfish) are read as whole words.

Remember: 一月 is read いちがつ when it means 'January' and ひとつき when it means 'a month'. 四月 is しがつ (not よんがつ) and 九月 is くがつ.

Example words

• 月曜日 (げつようび) — Monday
• 一月 (いちがつ) — January
• 月 (つき) — moon

Example sentences

月が綺麗ですね。

tsuki ga kirei desu ne.

The moon is beautiful, is it not?

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.