Knowing the months of the year in Japanese is essential for effective communication, whether you’re discussing plans, celebrating birthdays, or navigating cultural events. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the names of the months, their meanings, and some useful tips for remembering them. Understanding this vocabulary will not only improve your language skills but also deepen your appreciation for Japanese culture. Let’s dive into the world of Japanese months!
Months in Japanese
In Japanese, we just need to use numbers to count the months. It’s very simple, isn’t it? April, July, and September have special pronunciations.
Month | |
1 | いちがつ (ichi gatsu) |
2 | にがつ (ni gatsu) |
3 | さんがつ (san gatsu) |
4 | しがつ (shi gatsu) |
5 | ごがつ (go gatsu) |
6 | ろくがつ (roku gatsu) |
7 | しちがつ (shichi gatsu) |
8 | はちがつ (hachi gatsu) |
9 | くがつ (ku gatsu) |
10 | じゅうがつ (jū gatsu) |
11 | じゅういちがつ (jū ichi gatsu) |
12 | じゅうにがつ (jū ni gatsu) |
What month | なんがつ (nan gatsu) |
Days in Japanese
The numbers from 1 to 10 have special pronunciations, so you need to memorize them. However, starting from 11, you simply combine the numbers with “nichi.”
Day | |||
1 | tsuitachi | 17 | jū shichi nichi |
2 | futsuka | 18 | jū hachi nichi |
3 | mikka | 19 | jū ku nichi |
4 | yokka | 20 | hatsuka |
5 | itsuka | 21 | ni jū ichi nichi |
6 | muika | 22 | ni jū ni nichi |
7 | nanoka | 23 | ni jū san nichi |
8 | yōka | 24 | ni jū yokka |
9 | kokonoka | 25 | ni jū go nichi |
10 | tōka | 26 | ni jū roku nichi |
11 | jū ichi nichi | 27 | ni jū shichi nichi |
12 | jū ni nichi | 28 | ni jū hachi nichi |
13 | jū san nichi | 29 | ni jū ku nichi |
14 | jū yokka | 30 | san jū nichi |
15 | jū go nichi | 31 | san jū ichi nichi |
16 | jū roku nichi | ? | nan nichi |
Birthday in Japanese
When is your birthday? | たんじょうびはいつですか。 | tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka. |
My birthday is on _____. | _____ がつ _____ にちです。 | _____ gatsu _____ nichi desu. |
Happy Birthday | おたんじょうびおめでとうございます | otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu |
The phrase お誕生日おめでとうございます (otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu) literally means “Congratulations on your birthday.”
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