明月
meigetsu
The English phrase "bright moon" is 明月 (meigetsu) in Japanese.
明月 refers to a clear, luminous moon. It is used primarily in poetic or literary contexts to describe the beauty of the night sky.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji 明, meaning bright or light and 月, meaning moon.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
明月 is a formal or literary way to refer to a bright moon.
How do you pronounce it?
meigetsu
Did you know?
- While 明月 is poetic, the common way to say 'the moon is beautiful' was historically used as a coded confession of love, famously attributed to novelist Natsume Soseki.
- While 明月 describes a bright moon, Japanese speakers often prefer the word 名月 (meigetsu) to describe the specifically beautiful full moon of the autumn season. The kanji change from 'bright' to 'famous', implying a moon that is 'celebrated' or 'renowned' for its beauty.
- The kanji 明 in 明月 is formed by combining the characters for 'sun' and 'moon' to represent the concept of brightness.
Examples in context
- 思い出の庭に朗月が輝いている。A bright moon is shining in the garden of memories.
- 今夜は明るい月が出ているね。There's a bright moon tonight, isn't there?
- 海を照らしている輝く月を見てごらん。Look at the shining moon illuminating the sea.
- 静かな夜に、明るい月が空を照らしている。On a silent night, a bright moon is illuminating the sky.
- 風景画の中に描かれているような朗月が出ていた。A bright moon, reminiscent of a landscape painting, was shining.
- 今夜は明月が美しいですね。konya wa meigetsu ga utsukushii desu ne.The bright moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it?
- 明月の光が庭を照らしています。meigetsu no hikari ga niwa o terashite imasu.The light of the bright moon is illuminating the garden.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are looking at the night sky together.
- 蓮 Ren見て、本当にきれいな明月だね。Mite, hontou ni kireina meigetsu da ne.Look, it's a truly beautiful bright moon.
- 結衣 Yui本当に。空気が澄んでいてよく見えるわ。Hontou ni. Kuuki ga sunde ite yoku mieru wa.It really is. The air is clear, so we can see it well.
- 蓮 Renこんなに明るい明月は久しぶりだよ。Konna ni akarui meigetsu wa hisashiburi da yo.It's been a while since we've seen such a bright moon.
- 結衣 Yui心が落ち着く景色ね。Kokoro ga ochitsuku keshiki ne.It's a calming sight.
