十二月
jūnigatsu[d͡ʑɨːɲ̟iɡa̠t͡sɨ]
December in Japanese is 十二月 (jūnigatsu). Wiktionary also lists 師走 (shiwasu).
Meaning: twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 十二月 | jūnigatsu | [d͡ʑɨːɲ̟iɡa̠t͡sɨ] (narrow) [ɕiβ̞a̠sɨ] (narrow) |
| 師走 | shiwasu | [ɕiβ̞a̠sɨ] (narrow) |
The word is used to name the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar. While 十二月 is the standard term for the month, the poetic term 師走 is used to evoke the feeling of the year-end rush.
What does it mean word for word?
The poetic term 師走 can be translated as 'priest running', referring to busy priests due to traditional events in December.
Which one should you use?
十二月 is the standard, everyday way to say December. In contrast, 師走 is a poetic or literary term for December, often used to evoke the feeling of the year-end rush.
How do you pronounce it?
jūnigatsu
When do people say it?
Shiwasu is often translated as 'priest running' and refers to busy priests due to traditional events in December.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- 師走になりました。It is now December.Tatoeba #9413733 by small_snow, translation #10088627 by tsp_2
- 師走に入りました。It has turned to December.Tatoeba #9413735 by small_snow, translation #10126584 by tsp_2
- 十二月は一年の最後の月です。December is the last month of the year.Tatoeba #148053 by bunbuku, translation #266506 by CM
- 先月は11月でしたが、今は12月です。Last month was November, but now it's December.
- クリスマスは師走のイベントです。Christmas is an event in December.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are discussing their end-of-year plans.
- 結衣 Yui十二月に旅行に行きたいです。Juunigatsu ni ryokou ni ikitai desu.I want to go on a trip in December.
- 蓮 Renいいですね。どこに行きますか。Ii desu ne. Doko ni ikimasu ka.That sounds nice. Where will you go?
- 結衣 Yui北海道で雪が見たいです。Hokkaido de yuki ga mitai desu.I want to see the snow in Hokkaido.
- 蓮 Ren十二月の北海道はとても寒いですよ。Juunigatsu no Hokkaido wa totemo samui desu yo.Hokkaido is very cold in December.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “December” translations and entries 十二月, 師走, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 十二月, 師走, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
