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 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. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 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 January 24, 2022). copy citation