gennaio
/d͡ʒenˈna.jo/masculine
January in Italian is gennaio.
gennaio is the name of the first month of the Gregorian calendar. It is a masculine noun.
Meaning: first month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Sicilian dialect, the word gennajo is used to refer to January.
How does it change in a sentence?
When writing or speaking about the first day of the month, use the ordinal number 1° (primo) rather than the cardinal number uno.
How do you pronounce it?
gennaio has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /dʒenˈna.jo/.
Did you know?
- Because the month is named after the god of beginnings, the name gennaio shares a linguistic root with the English word 'janitor', which originally referred to a person in charge of a doorway or entrance.
- In the traditional Italian calendar of saints, gennaio contains the feast of the Epifania on the 6th, which is often considered the true end of the holiday season rather than the 1st.
- The name gennaio is derived from the Roman god 'Ianus', the god of beginnings and transitions, who is famously depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions.
Examples in context
- Oggi è il 2 gennaio.Today is January 2nd.The first sentence shows how to state a specific date using gennaio.Tatoeba #10933440 by JeanM, translation #464256 by lukaszpp
- Oggi è il due gennaio.Today is the second of January.The second sentence demonstrates an alternative way to express the date with gennaio.Tatoeba #1547782 by Guybrush88, translation #1547724 by miflhanc
- Ero con lui in gennaio.I was with him in January.The third sentence shows how to use gennaio to indicate a time period.Tatoeba #3010612 by Guybrush88, translation #1037071 by GPHemsley
- La riunione è programmata per il 5 gennaio.The meeting is scheduled for the 5th of January.
- Domani inizia gennaio, finalmente! Non vedo l'ora di iniziare il nuovo anno.Tomorrow January begins, finally! I can't wait to start the new year.
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are talking about a trip.
- MartinaQuando partiamo per le vacanze?When are we leaving for the holidays?
- LorenzoAndiamo a metà gennaio.We are going in mid-January.
- MartinaGennaio è un mese molto freddo.January is a very cold month.
- LorenzoSì, porterò un cappotto pesante.Yes, I will bring a heavy coat.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “January” translations and entries gennaio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gennaio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
