月

See also: ⺼, 冃, 🈷, ㈪, ㊊, and 🈷️

月 U+6708, 月 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6708 ← 朇 [U+6707] CJK Unified Ideographs 有 → [U+6709]

⽉ U+2F49, ⽉ KANGXI RADICAL MOON ← ⽈ [U+2F48] Kangxi Radicals ⽊ → [U+2F4A]

⺝ U+2E9D, ⺝ CJK RADICAL MOON ← ⺜ [U+2E9C] CJK Radicals Supplement ⺞ → [U+2E9E]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

月 (Kangxi radical 74, 月+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 月 (B), four-corner 7722₀, composition ⿵⺆𠄠)

1. Kangxi radical #74, ⽉.

Usage notes

Do not confuse 月 with ⺼, a form of 肉 (“flesh, meat”) when used as the left-hand radical of a character. ⺼ is used for parts of the body such as 背 (“back”) or 肝 (“liver”). These may be written identically as 月, but in careful use they are distinguished, with the inside of ⺼ being written with unattached diagonal strokes. This is particularly an issue in looking up characters by radical; compare the 月 index and 肉 index.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/月
• 仴, 𫥂, 𠯲, 𪢻, 𫰒, 岄, 抈, 㳉, 阴, 明, 枂, 㱚, 玥, 迌, 𤰾, 眀, 䄴, 䎳, 䑚, 蚏, 䚴, 𧲩, 𧵂, 跀, 𨊸(䢁), 鈅(钥), 䩗, 𩢋, 𩵺(𬶈), 刖, 閒(𫔮)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 504, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14330
• Dae Jaweon: page 879, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2041, character 1
• Unihan data for U+6708

Further reading

• 月 on Wikidata.Wikidata

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		月
alternative forms		𡇹 𠥱

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 月
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (月) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
刖	*ŋroːd, *ŋod, *ŋuːd
枂	*ŋoːd, *ŋod
月	*ŋod
跀	*ŋod
抈	*ŋod
鈅	*ŋod
玥	*ŋod
蚏	*ɢod

Pictogram (象形) – pictographic representation of a crescent moon. Compare 夕.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋʷ(j)a-t (“moon; star”), whence also Magar [Term?] (gya hot, “moon”), Proto-Lolo-Burmese *mwatᴸ (“star; moon”) (whence Lahu məʔ-kə (“star”)), Drung gurmet (“star”) (Matisoff, 1980; LaPolla, 1987; STEDT).

Various alternative etymologies have also been proposed:

• Unger (1992) proposes cognation with Tibetan ངོ (ngo, “waxing and waning moon; half moon”) (as in མར་ངོ (mar ngo, “waning moon”) and ཡར་ངོ (yar ngo, “waxing moon”)), which Schuessler (2007) connects to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-ŋow (“white; light colour”). However, Sagart (1999) points out that the Tibetan word may be analyzed as a derivative of Tibetan ངོ (ngo, “face”), which would mean the semantic connection between “moon” and “face” had to occur either independently in Chinese and Tibetan or in Proto-Sino-Tibetan; it also requires positing a suffix -t in Chinese.
• Pulleybank (1995a) proposes another etymology based on the glyph for 名 (reconstructed as *màŋʲ), which he analyses as a phono-semantic compound of phonetic 夕 (“moon”) and semantic 口 (“mouth”). He suggests that the phonetic component represents a lost word *màŋʲ (“moon”), and reconstructs 月 as *mŋʲ (consonantal frame of “moon”) + *-at (suffix) > *ŋʲʷat. However, there are more straightforward ways of explaining the glyph origin of 名 (see there), which would nullify the hypothesis of the lost word.
• Related to 越 (“to pass over; to cross over”) in some way.
  • Mei (1979) derives 月 from 越 (OC **gjot > *gwjat): **N-gjot > *ngwjat. Also in this proposed word family is 歲 (OC **s-gjots > *skwjadh, “year”). The semantics of this word family is centred around "to pass; to elapse". While Matisoff (1980) seems supportive of this word family, STEDT reconstructs Proto-Sino-Tibetan *grwat (“to travel; to go through”) for 越 and 歲, separate from the root for 月.
  • Ferlus (2012) reconstructs the Old Chinese as *ŋ.wat and puts it in a word family formed from a Chinese root *wat, having a meaning of "circularity" or "circular boundary". This proposed word family includes 越 (OC *wat, “to cross over”), as in "to cross the enclosure of the village", and 外 (OC *ŋ.wat-s, “outside”), as in "out of the enclosure of the village".

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 月

1. (literary or dialectal) moon (Classifier: 輪／轮 m)
2. moon-shaped objects
3. (literary) moonlight
4. month (Classifier: 個／个 m c; 隻／只 h)

   Template:zh-syn

5. monthly

   月薪  ―  yuèxīn  ―  monthly wage

6. Classifier for months.
7. a surname

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:月.

Synonyms

• See 月/derived terms § Chinese.

Compounds

• See 月/derived terms § Chinese.

Descendants

• See 月/derived terms § Chinese.

See also

Months of the year

• 一月 (yīyuè, “January”)
• 二月 (èryuè, “February”)
• 三月 (sānyuè, “March”)
• 四月 (sìyuè, “April”)
• 五月 (wŭyuè, “May”)
• 六月 (liùyuè, “June”)
• 七月 (qīyuè, “July”)
• 八月 (bāyuè, “August”)
• 九月 (jiŭyuè, “September”)
• 十月 (shíyuè, “October”)
• 十一月 (shíyīyuè, “November”)
• 十二月 (shíèryuè, “December”)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 月 – see 肉 (“meat; flesh; pork; etc.”). (This character is an ancient form of 肉).

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 月 – see 夕 (“night; evening; dusk”). (This character is an ancient form of 夕).

Etymology 4

For pronunciation and definitions of 月 – see 明 (“bright; light; brilliant; clear; limpid; etc.”). (This character is an ancient form of 明).

References

• “月”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01841
• “Entry #812”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

月

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: がち (gachi)^{←ぐわち (gwati, historical)}、ごち (gochi)
• Kan-on: げつ (getsu, Jōyō)^{←げつ (getu, historical)←ぐゑつ (gwetu, ancient)}
• Kan’yō-on: がつ (gatsu, Jōyō)^{←ぐわつ (gwatu, historical)}
• Kun: つき (tsuki, 月, Jōyō)
• Nanori: おと (oto)、す (su)、もり (mori)、がっ (ga')、ずき (zuki)

Compounds

• See 月/derived terms § Japanese.

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
月
つき Grade: 1
kun'yomi

⟨tuki₂⟩ → */tukɨ/ → */t͡sukɨ/ → /t͡suki/

From Old Japanese 月 (tuki₂), ultimately from Proto-Japonic *tukuy.

Likely a shift from Old Japanese 月 (tuku), derived through a fusion with ancient Japanese emphatic nominal particle い (i). Compare the development of 神 (kami, “Shinto deity”) from older combining form kamu.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) つき [tsùkíꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨ̥kʲi]

Noun

月(つき) • (tsuki) 

1. the moon

   Synonyms: 太陰 (taiin), ムーン (mūn)

2. (astronomy) a natural satellite
3. moonlight, moonbeam

   Synonyms: 月光 (gekkō), 月影 (tsukikage)

4. a 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) with various designs of the moon
5. (tarot) the Moon, the eighteenth trump or major arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks
6. a month
7. Short for 月囲い (tsukigakoi): a mistress on a monthly allowance
8. (archaic) a menstrual cycle, menstruation (believed to be caused by the moon)

   Synonyms: 月経 (gekkei), 月の物 (tsuki no mono)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:月.

Derived terms

• See 月/derived terms § Japanese pronunciation 1.

Japanese number-counter combinations for 月(つき) (tsuki)
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	How many?
一(ひと)月(つき) (hitotsuki)	二(ふた)月(つき) (futatsuki)	三(み)月(つき) (mitsuki)	四(よ)月(つき) (yotsuki)	五(いつ)月(つき) (itsutsuki)	六(む)月(つき) (mutsuki)	七(なな)月(つき) (nanatsuki)	八(や)月(つき) (yatsuki)	九(ここの)月(つき) (kokonotsuki)	十(と)月(つき) (totsuki)	何(なん)月(つき) (nantsuki)

Idioms

• 月よ星よ (tsuki yo hoshi yo)
• 月と鼈 (tsuki to suppon)

Proper noun

月(つき) • (Tsuki) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
月
がつ Grade: 1
kan'yōon

/ɡʷatɨ/ → /ɡʷat͡su/ → /ɡat͡su/

From Middle Chinese 月 (ŋʉɐt̚). The 慣用音 (kan'yōon) reading, a pronunciation in common usage based on a corruption of the Middle Chinese borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠t͡sɨ]

• Some dictionaries apparently classify this reading as both 呉音 (goon) and 慣用音 (kan'yōon).

Suffix

月(がつ) or 月(suffix) • (gatsu or suffix) ^{←ぐわつ (gwatu)?}[[Category:Japanese
|かつ']]

1. month of the year

Derived terms

• 正月 (shōgatsu)

Japanese number-counter combinations for 月(がつ) (gatsu)
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th	Which month?
一(いち)月(がつ) (ichigatsu)	二(に)月(がつ) (nigatsu)	三(さん)月(がつ) (sangatsu)	四(し)月(がつ) (shigatsu)	五(ご)月(がつ) (gogatsu)	六(ろく)月(がつ) (rokugatsu)	七(しち)月(がつ) (shichigatsu) 七(なな)月(がつ) (nanagatsu)	八(はち)月(がつ) (hachigatsu)	九(く)月(がつ) (kugatsu)	十(じゅう)月(がつ) (jūgatsu)	十(じゅう)一(いち)月(がつ) (jūichigatsu)	十(じゅう)二(に)月(がつ) (jūnigatsu)	何(なん)月(がつ) (nangatsu)

Affix

月(がつ) or 月(suffix) • (gatsu or suffix) ^{←ぐわつ (gwatu)?}[[Category:Japanese
|かつ']]

1. moon
2. month

Derived terms

• See 月/derived terms § Japanese pronunciation 2.

Usage notes

When used in most compounds or when counting a number of months with ヶ (ka), 月 is pronounced げつ (getsu). When used in compounds for modern months of the year, it is pronounced がつ (gatsu). When used for poetic or lunar months, it is pronounced つき (tsuki).

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
月
げつ Grade: 1
kan'on

/ɡʷetu/ → /ɡet͡su/

From Middle Chinese 月 (ŋʉɐt̚).

The 漢音 (kan'on) reading, so likely a later borrowing. Compare modern Hakka 月 (ngie̍t), Min Nan 月 (ge̍h).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) げつ [géꜜtsù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɡe̞t͡sɨ]

Counter

月(げつ) • (-getsu) ^{←ぐゑつ (-gwetu)?}

1. a month as a duration of time
2. (possibly obsolete) month of the year

Usage notes

When used in most compounds or when counting a number of months with ヶ (ka), 月 is pronounced げつ (getsu). When used in compounds for modern months of the year, it is pronounced がつ (gatsu). When used for poetic or lunar months, it is pronounced つき (tsuki).

Derived terms

• ヶ月 (-kagetsu)

Noun

月(げつ) • (getsu) 

1. Short for 月曜日 (getsuyōbi): Monday

Affix

月(げつ) • (getsu) 

1. moon
2. month
3. menstruation, menstrual cycle

Derived terms

• See 月/derived terms § Japanese pronunciation 3.

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
月
がち Grade: 1
goon

/ɡʷat͡ɕi/ → /ɡat͡ɕi/

First attested in the Edo period.

Appears to be a poetic use of the 呉音 (goon) reading, in reference to a rank of 端女郎 (hashi jorō, “low-end prostitute”) in the Kansai region. According to a popular song, a 月 (gachi, “moon”) prostitute cost one 匁 (monme, old unit of currency, worth roughly 3.75 grams of silver), a 影 (kage, “shadow”) prostitute cost two monme, and a 汐 (shio, “tide; loveliness”) prostitute cost three monme.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠t͡ɕi]

Noun

月(がち) • (gachi) ^{←ぐわち (gwati)?}

1. (Kansai, historical) during the Edo period, a low rank of low-end prostitute

Derived terms

• 月の女郎 (gachi no jorō)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
月
がち Grade: 1
goon

Either a shift in sense from the low-ranking prostitute meaning above, or a shift in pronunciation from 頑痴 (ganchi, “stubborn and stupid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠t͡ɕi]

Alternative forms

• 瓦智 (ateji)

Adjective

月(がち) • (gachi) ^{←ぐわち (gwati)?†}-nari

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) crude, unrefined, hickish

   Synonym: 野暮 (yabo)

Inflection

Classical conjugation of "月なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	月なら	がちなら	gatinara
Continuative (連用形)	月に[1] 月なり[2]	がちに がちなり	gatini gatinari
Terminal (終止形)	月なり	がちなり	gatinari
Attributive (連体形)	月なる	がちなる	gatinaru
Realis (已然形)	月なれ	がちなれ	gatinare
Imperative (命令形)	月なれ	がちなれ	gatinare
Key constructions
Negative	月ならず	がちならず	gatinarazu
Contrasting conjunction	月なれど	がちなれど	gatinaredo
Causal conjunction	月なれば	がちなれば	gatinareba
Conditional conjunction	月ならば	がちならば	gatinaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	月なりき	がちなりき	gatinariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	月なりけり	がちなりけり	gatinarikeri
Adverbial	月に	がちに	gatini
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.

Noun

月(がち) • (gachi) ^{←ぐわち (gwati)?}

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) something or someone that/who is crude, unrefined, hickish

   Synonym: 野暮 (yabo)

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Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 月 (MC ngjwot).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	ᅌᅯᇙ〮 (Yale: ngwélq)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[3]	ᄃᆞᆯ〮 (Yale: tól)	월〮 (Yale: wél)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [wʌ̹ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [월]

Hanja

Wikisource

月 (eumhun 달 월 (dal wol))

1. hanja form^? of 월 (“month”) [noun]
2. hanja form^? of 월 (“moon”) [affix]
3. hanja form^? of 월 (“Short for 월요일(月曜日) (woryoil, “Monday”).”)

Compounds

• See 月/derived terms § Korean.

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [4]

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Kunigami

Kanji

月

• Kun: しちー (shichī)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tuki.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɕi̻t͡ɕiː/

Noun

月 (hiragana しちー, romaji shichī)

1. the moon

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Miyako

Kanji

月

• Kun: つぃきぃ (tsïksï)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tuki.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡sɨ̥.kˢɨ/
• IPA^(key): /ks̩.ks̩/

Noun

月 (hiragana つぃきぃ, romaji tsïksï)

1. the moon
2. a month
3. (abbreviation) Monday

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Okinawan

Kanji

月

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• On (unclassified): ぐゎち (gwachi)^{←ぐゎつぃ (gwatwi, historical)}
• Kun: ちち (chichi)^{←つぃち (twiti, historical)}

Compounds

• See 月/derived terms § Okinawan.

Alternative forms

• (topicalized) 月ぇ (chichē)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
月
ちち Grade: 1
kun'yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tuki, from Proto-Japonic *tukuy.

Cognate with Japanese 月 (tsuki).

Pronunciation

• ちち [chíchì] (Heiban - [0]))
• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi̻t͡ɕi]

Noun

月(ちち) (chichi) ^{←つぃち (twiti)?}

1. the moon
2. a month

Derived terms

• See 月/derived terms § Okinawan.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
月
ぐゎち Grade: 1
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡʷat͡ɕi]

Noun

月(ぐゎち) (gwachi) 

1. month of the year

Suffix

1. month of the year

Further reading

• “ぐゎち・ぐぁち【月】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ちち【月】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

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Old Japanese

Etymology 1

From Proto-Japonic *tukuy.

Likely a shift from tuku below, derived through a fusion with い (i₂, emphatic nominal particle). Compare the development of 神 (kamu → kami₂, “Shinto deity”).

Noun

月 (tuki₂) (kana つき)

1. the moon
2. a month
3. a menstrual cycle, menstruation (believed to be caused by the moon)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:月.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 月日 (tuki₁pi₁)
• 三日月 (mi₁kaduki₂)
• 望月 (motiduki₂)

Etymology 2

Possibly from Proto-Japonic *tuku.

Noun

月 (tuku) (kana つく)

1. (regional, Eastern Old Japanese) the moon
2. (regional, Eastern Old Japanese) a month
3. Combining form of ツキ^乙 (tuki₂) above

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:月.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 月日 (tukupi₁)
• 月夜 (tukuyo₁)
• 月讀 (tukuyo₂mi₁)

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Vietnamese

Han character

月: Hán Việt readings: nguyệt (魚(ngư)厥(quyết)切(thiết)), ngoạt, nhục (而(nhi)六(lục)切(thiết))
月: Nôm readings: nguyệt, ngoạt, nhục

1. chữ Hán form of nguyệt, ngoạt (“moon; month”).
2. chữ Hán form of nhục (“Alternative form of 肉 (“meat radical”)”).

Compounds

• See 月/derived terms § Vietnamese.

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Yaeyama

Kanji

月

• Kun: つぃきぃ (tsïkï)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tuki.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡sɨ̥kɨ/

Noun

月 (hiragana つぃきぃ, romaji tsïkï)

1. the moon

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Yonaguni

Kanji

月

• Kun: ってぃー (ttī)

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *tuki.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˀiː/

Noun

月 (hiragana ってぃー, romaji ttī)

1. the moon