神無月

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
神	無	月
かん Grade: 3	な Grade: 4	つき > づき Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
神無月 (kyūjitai)

Shift from kaminazuki or kamunazuki below.

Noun

神(かん)無(な)月(づき) • (kannazuki) 

1. (archaic) the tenth month of the lunar calendar
2. (poetic) the month of the kami, October

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
神	無	月
かみ Grade: 3	な Grade: 4	つき > づき Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
神無月 (kyūjitai)

Compound of 神 (kami, “Shinto god, deity”) +‎ な (na, Old Japanese possessive particle, apophonic form of の (no)) +‎ 月 (tsuki, “month”). The tsuki changes to zuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

The use of the kanji 無 (“not, none”) for the na portion is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字). In one folk etymology, kami were said to assemble at 出雲大社 (Izumo Taisha, “Izumo Grand Shrine”) at this month, leaving no gods in the rest of Japan.

Noun

神(かみ)無(な)月(づき) • (kaminazuki) 

1. (archaic) the tenth month of the lunar calendar
2. (poetic) the month of the kami, October

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
神	無	月
かむ Grade: 3	な Grade: 4	つき > づき Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
神無月 (kyūjitai)

Compound of 神 (kamu, combining form of kami, “Shinto god, deity”) +‎ な (na, Old Japanese possessive particle, apophonic form of の (no)) +‎ 月 (tsuki, “month”). The tsuki changes to zuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Noun

神(かむ)無(な)月(づき) • (kamunazuki) 

1. (archaic) the tenth month of the lunar calendar
2. (poetic) the month of the kami, October

See also

• (Japanese calendar months) 睦(む)月(つき) (mutsuki), 如月(きさらぎ) (kisaragi), 弥(や)生(よい) (yayoi), 卯(う)月(づき) (uzuki), 皐(さ)月(つき) (satsuki), 水(み)無(な)月(づき) (minazuki), 文(ふみ)月(づき) (fumizuki), 葉(は)月(づき) (hazuki), 長(なが)月(つき) (nagatsuki), 神(かん)無(な)月(づき) (kannazuki), 霜(しも)月(つき) (shimotsuki), 師(し)走(わす) (shiwasu) ^{(Category: ja:Japanese calendar months)}

• 神有月(かみありづき), 神在月(かみありづき) (kamiarizuki)
• 神(かみ)去(さ)り月(づき) (kamisarizuki)
• 神(かみ)無(な)し月(づき) (kaminashizuki)

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Old Japanese

Alternative forms

• 十月

Etymology

Compound of 神 (kami₁/kamu-, “Shinto god, deity”) +‎ な (na, apophonic form of possessive particle の (no₂)) +‎ 月 (tuki₂, “month”). The tsuki changes to zuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

In one folk etymology, kami were said to assemble at 出雲大社 (Izumo Taisha, “Izumo Grand Shrine”) at this month, leaving no gods in the rest of Japan.

Noun

神無月 (kami₁naduki₂, kamunaduki₂) (kana かみなづき, かむなづき)

1. the tenth month of the lunar calendar
   • 720, Nihon Shoki, Emperor Yūryaku, entry 2: third year of the tenth month of Emperor Ankō:

     ...孟冬作陰之月...

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 8, poem 1590:

     十月鍾礼尓相有黄葉乃吹者将落風之随

     kami₁naduki₂kamunaduki₂ sigure ni ape₁ru momi₁tiba no₂ pukaba tirinamu kaze no₂ manimani

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Descendants

• Japanese: 神無月 (かんなづき, kannazuki)