一月
yīyuè
In Chinese, january is 一月 (yīyuè). Wiktionary also lists 元月 (yuányuè).
Meaning: first month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 一月 | yīyuè |
| 元月 | yuányuè |
一月 refers to the first month of the Gregorian calendar.
Which one should you use?
一月 is the standard way to say January, while 元月 is a more formal or literary alternative often used in news reports or official documents.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, months are formed by simply stating the number (1-12) followed by the word for month (月). Adding the suffix 份 (fèn) to 一月 results in 一月份 (yīyuèfèn), which is commonly used to refer to the month as a period of time or a specific timeframe.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is yīyuè.
Did you know?
- When talking about the first month of the lunar year, people often say 正月 (zhēngyuè) instead of 一月. This term specifically refers to the traditional New Year month.
- The character 月 originally depicted a crescent moon. Because the lunar cycle is roughly 29.5 days, the symbol for 'moon' became the standard word for 'month'.
- While 一月 is the standard name, the word 元 (yuán) in 元月 shares its root with 'dollar' or 'unit', implying the 'first' or 'original' month of the cycle.
Examples in context
- 一月通常是最冷的月份。January is usually the coldest month.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of the month using 一月.Tatoeba #10752760 by GlossaMatik, translation #73176 by CK
- 雖然二月電風扇的產量減少了，但還是超過了一月。Although the production of electric fans was reduced in February, it still beats January.This sentence is useful for comparing production volumes of different months using 一月.Tatoeba #5250670 by xjjAstrus, translation #11277832 by Aphima
- 一月份这里很冷。It's very cold here in January.This sentence is useful for noting the weather conditions during the month using 一月.Tatoeba #3669424 by trieuho, translation #3669425 by trieuho
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing their upcoming travel plans.
- 俊杰 Junjie你一月要去旅游吗？Nǐ yīyuè yào qù lǚyóu ma?Are you going traveling in January?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我打算一月去北京。Wǒ dǎsuàn yīyuè qù Běijīng.I plan to go to Beijing in January.
- 俊杰 Junjie晓雯，那里一月很冷。Xiǎowén, nàlǐ yīyuè hěn lěng.Xiaowen, it is very cold there in January.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen没关系，我有厚衣服。Méiguānxì, wǒ yǒu hòu yīfú.That's okay, I have thick clothes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “january” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
