janvier
/ʒɑ̃.vje/masculine
The French word for January is janvier.
janvier is the name of the first month of the Gregorian calendar.
Meaning: first month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to say 'in January', use the preposition en before the month to form en janvier. To say 'the 1st of January', use the ordinal number 1er (premier) rather than un, resulting in le 1er janvier. Note that, unlike in English, months in French are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /ʒɑ̃.vje/.
Did you know?
- In France, the 'galette des rois' is traditionally eaten in janvier to celebrate the Epiphany. The person who finds the 'fève' hidden inside the cake is crowned king or queen for the day.
- In Roman mythology, Janus was depicted with two faces, one looking back at the old year and one looking forward to the new.
- Because the word janvier is derived from a Roman deity, it is part of a larger family of names used in many Romance languages, such as the Spanish enero or Italian gennaio.
Examples in context
- Il neige en janvier.It snows in January.This sentence is useful for mentioning that it snows in janvier.Tatoeba #136140 by Aiji, translation #8288835 by sundown
- Nous sommes en janvier.It's January.This sentence is useful for stating that it is currently janvier.Tatoeba #9129568 by Julien_PDC, translation #10191233 by sundown
- On est déjà en janvier.It's already January.This sentence is useful for noting that it is already janvier.Tatoeba #12465871 by Rovo, translation #12467074 by rul
- L'événement aura lieu en janvier .The event will take place in January.
- J'ai réservé mes vacances en janvier .I booked my vacation in January.
- Je suis né en janvier .I was born in January.
- J'ai rendez-vous chez le dentiste début janvier .I have a dentist appointment at the beginning of January.
- En janvier , le temps est souvent froid et neigeux.In January, the weather is often cold and snowy.
- 47 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are discussing their upcoming travel plans.
- EmmaTu pars quand pour ton voyage ?When are you leaving for your trip?
- GabrielJe pars en janvier.I am leaving in January.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Gabriel.That is an excellent idea, Gabriel.
- GabrielOui, j'ai hâte d'y être.Yes, I can't wait to be there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “January” translations and entries janvier, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
