Languages › Japanese What Were the Old Names for the Months in Japanese? Share Flipboard Email Print George C. Baxley/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. our editorial process Namiko Abe Updated February 28, 2020 In modern Japanese, the months are simply numbered from one to 12. For example, January is the first month of the year, therefore it is called "ichi-gatsu." The Old Japanese Calendar Names There are also old names for each month. These names date back to the Heian period (794-1185) and are based on the lunar calendar. In modern Japan, they are not normally used when saying the date. They are written in a Japanese calendar, sometimes, along with the modern names. The old names are also used in poems or novels. Of the 12 months, yayoi (March), satsuki (May), and shiwasu (December) are still referred to quite often. A fine day in May is called "satsuki-bare." Yayoi and satsuki can be used as female names. Modern Name Old Name January ichi-gatsu 一月 mutsuki 睦月 February ni-gatsu 二月 kisaragi 如月 san-gatsu san-gatsu 三月 yayoi 弥生 April shi-gatsu 四月 uzuki 卯月 May go-gatsu 五月 satsuki 皐月 June roku-gatsu 六月 minazuki 水無月 July shichi-gatsu 七月 fumizuki 文月 August hachi-gatsu 八月 hazuki 葉月 September ku-gatsu 九月 nagatsuki 長月 October juu-gatsu 十月 kannazuki 神無月 November juuichi-gatsu 十一月 shimotsuki 霜月 December juuni-gatsu 十二月 shiwasu師走 Name Meanings Each old name has meaning. If you know about the Japanese climate, you might wonder why minazuki (June) is the month of no water. June is rainy season (tsuyu) in Japan. However, the old Japanese calendar was about a month behind the European calendar. This means minazuki was from July 7th to August 7th in the past. It is believed that all the Gods from throughout the country gathered at Izumo Taisha (Izumo Shrine) in kannazuki (October), and therefore, there were no gods for other prefectures. December is the busy month. Everyone, even the most respected priests, prepares for the New Year. Old Name Meaning mutsuki 睦月 Month of harmony kisaragi 如月 Month of wearing extra layers of clothes yayoi 弥生 Month of growth uzuki 卯月 Month of Deutzia (unohana) satsuki 皐月 Month of planting rice sprouts minazuki 水無月 Month of no water fumizuki 文月 Month of literary hazuki 葉月 Month of leaves nagatsuki 長月 Autumn long month kannazuki 神無月 Month of no Gods shimotsuki 霜月 Month of frost shiwasu 師走 Month of running priests Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "What Were the Old Names for the Months in Japanese?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/can-you-tell-me-the-old-names-of-the-months-2027868. Abe, Namiko. (2020, August 29). What Were the Old Names for the Months in Japanese? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/can-you-tell-me-the-old-names-of-the-months-2027868 Abe, Namiko. "What Were the Old Names for the Months in Japanese?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/can-you-tell-me-the-old-names-of-the-months-2027868 (accessed September 17, 2021). copy citation