十二月

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 十二月は忙しい月だ。▶ —
   December is a busy month.
2. 十二月三十一日は大晦日。▶ —
   December 31 is the great years-end.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Juunigatsu (十二月) is December — Japans oomisoka year-end-eve plus bounenkai parties, Christmas (Japanese-style), and oseibo gift-giving stack up. Cluster: (1) oomisoka (Dec 31 with toshikoshi-soba "year-crossing buckwheat noodles" — long noodles for longevity, easy snap for "cutting bad ties" — plus NHKs kouhaku-uta-gassen Red-vs-White song battle since 1951 mass-watched tradition and joya no kane temple bell tolling 108 times from 23:30 to purify the 108 human passions); (2) bounenkai (year-forgetting party — drowning the years bad memories with coworkers or company-wide izakaya gatherings, peaking late November to late December); (3) kurisumasu (Japanese-style Christmas as a unique couples day rather than a family event — high-end hotel and restaurant bookings spike, Dec 24 eve outranks Dec 25, which is a workday — birthday cake plus KFC fried chicken (1974 marketing stuck) and the OL-with-boyfriend hotel-dinner romance stereotype); (4) oseibo (year-end gift to bosses, clients, mentors — food and household goods shipped throughout December). Kanji 十二 = 10+2, on-reading juuni plus 月 "-gatsu." JLPT N5 plus Decembers Japanese year-end cultural cluster.

Quick check

1. Cultural feature of Japans Christmas Eve?

   • Uniquely a couples day — luxury hotel and restaurant reservations spike, KFC fried chicken and birthday cake customs (different from the Western family event)
   • Family-centered like the West
   • Major church service
   • National holiday