Fluentide
Fluentide for iOS is out — get the app
HSK 1

月

month; moon

nounneutral
月
yuè4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
yuè
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
4
Register
neutral
Measure word
个

Stroke order for 月

月 is written with 4 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 月 mean?

月 (yuè) means both 'moon' and 'month' — the same character, because the lunar cycle is what originally defined the month in Chinese.

In modern use, the two meanings rarely conflict: context decides. For months of the year, 月 attaches directly to a number: 一月 (January), 二月 (February), 三月 (March), all the way to 十二月 (December).

For duration ('three months'), you need 个: 三个月 (sān ge yuè). Two things English speakers should note: first, the difference between 三月 ('March,' a specific month) and 三个月 ('three months,' a length of time) is a beginner trap — drop or add 个 and the meaning flips; second, for 'moon' as a celestial body, modern speech almost always uses 月亮 (yuèliang) rather than 月 alone, which survives mainly in compounds and poetry.

Example sentences

我九月去中国。

Wǒ jiǔyuè qù Zhōngguó.

I'm going to China in September.

neutral

这个月很忙。

Zhège yuè hěn máng.

This month is very busy.

spoken

我学了三个月中文。

Wǒ xué le sān ge yuè Zhōngwén.

I've studied Chinese for three months.

neutral

今晚的月亮真漂亮。

Jīnwǎn de yuèliang zhēn piàoliang.

Tonight's moon is really beautiful.

spoken

Common phrases with 月

一月yīyuèJanuary
十二月shí'èryuèDecember
这个月zhège yuèthis month
下个月xià ge yuènext month
月亮yuèliangthe moon (celestial body)

Synonyms

月份yuèfèn

月份 is a more formal / written word for 'month' as a unit on the calendar. Common in reports: 三月份的销售 (March's sales). In everyday speech you just say 三月.

月亮yuèliang

月亮 is the everyday word for the celestial moon. Use 月亮 when pointing at the sky; 月 alone usually means month or appears in compounds (月光 moonlight, 满月 full moon).

Don't confuse 月 with

日rì

日 means 'sun / day.' 月 and 日 are the classical pair (moon/month vs. sun/day). They combine into 日月 (sun and moon) and into 明 (bright, made of 日 + 月).

肉ròu

肉 ('meat') looks similar to 月 in some printed fonts, and when 月 appears as a radical inside characters like 脸 (face) or 胖 (fat) it's actually the 'meat / flesh' radical 肉 — not the moon. Confusing but worth knowing.

三月 vs. 三个月sānyuè / sān ge yuè

三月 = March (the third month). 三个月 = three months (a duration). The measure word 个 flips it from a name to a count. This is the most common beginner mix-up with 月.

FAQ

Acquire it by listening

Meet 月 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 月 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.