今月

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 今月は忙しいです。▶ —
   I am busy this month.
2. 今月の予定を立てる。▶ —
   I plan this month's schedule.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Kongetsu (今月) means "this month" — 今 (now) + 月 (month). Month-deixis ladder: sengetsu (先月, last month), kongetsu (this month), raigetsu (来月, next month), saraigetsu (再来月, month after next). The same kanji 月 is read gatsu in month names (ichi-gatsu, January) but getsu in deictic phrases (sen-getsu). The kanji 月 fans out into four senses: (1) calendar unit (kongetsu); (2) named month (ichigatsu); (3) celestial body (otsukisama, the moon); (4) duration (ikkagetsu, one month). Japanese, Korean, and Chinese share 月 — a common East Asian calendar cluster. Japan adopted the Gregorian solar calendar in Meiji 5 (1873), so the lunar calendar (kyuureki) survives only for selected rites — obon (July or August), otsukimi (August or September) keep lunar timing.

Quick check

1. Year Japan adopted the solar calendar?

   • 1873 (Meiji 5)
   • 1600 (start of Edo)
   • 1945 (postwar)
   • 1989 (Heisei)