中秋の名月
chūshū no meigetsu
The English phrase harvest moon is 中秋の名月 (chūshū no meigetsu) in Japanese.
中秋の名月 refers to the full moon nearest the autumn equinox.
Meaning: full moon nearest the autumn equinox (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 中秋 (mid-autumn), the particle の (possessive particle) and 名月 (bright/famous moon).
How do you pronounce it?
chūshū no meigetsu
Did you know?
- In Japanese folklore, a rabbit is said to live on the moon pounding mochi, a theme often depicted during 中秋の名月 celebrations.
- Historically, the celebration of 中秋の名月 was influenced by Chinese customs during the Heian period and was originally reserved for the imperial court and nobility.
- In Japan, the moon of the harvest is often associated with eating 'tsukimi dango', which are small white rice dumplings made to honor the moon.
Examples in context
- 今日は、中秋の名月です。Today is the harvest moon.This sentence is useful for stating that today is the harvest moon using 中秋の名月.Tatoeba #12727201 by small_snow, translation #12883734 by clm333
- 中秋の名月は、とても綺麗ですね。Chūshū no meigetsu wa, totemo kirei desu ne.The harvest moon is very beautiful, isn't it?
- 中秋の名月を眺めながら、お団子を食べました。Chūshū no meigetsu o nagame nagara, odango o tabemashita.I ate rice dumplings while gazing at the harvest moon.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are looking at the sky at night.
- 蓮 Ren見て、あの中秋の名月がすごいよ。Mite, ano chuushu no meigetsu ga sugoi yo.Look, that harvest moon is amazing.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ、とても明るいね。Hontou da, totemo akarui ne.You're right, it's very bright.
- 蓮 Ren結衣もそう思うだろう？Yui mo sou omou darou?You think so too, Yui?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、本当に綺麗だよ。Un, hontou ni kirei da yo.Yes, it's truly beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “harvest moon” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
