janeiro
/ʒaˈne(j).ɾu/masculine
The English word "january" is janeiro in Portuguese.
janeiro refers to the first month of the Gregorian calendar.
Meaning: first month of the Gregorian calendar (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
Months in Portuguese are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence. To say "in January", use the preposition em before the month, such as em janeiro. While em janeiro is the standard way to say "in January", the contraction no (em + o) is sometimes used when referring to a specific, previously mentioned January, though it is much less common for general time expressions.
How do you pronounce it?
janeiro has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /ʒaˈne(j).ɾu/.
Did you know?
- The month janeiro is shared as a name with the famous city of Rio de Janeiro, which means 'River of January'.
- In Brazil, janeiro is often associated with the '13th salary', a mandatory year-end bonus that workers receive and spend during the first month of the year.
- The Latin root of janeiro, 'Iānuārius', comes from 'Iānus', the Roman god of beginnings, gates and transitions.
Examples in context
- Janeiro é o meu mês.January is my month.This sentence shows how to use janeiro to identify a month.Tatoeba #11466079 by carlosalberto, translation #11466081 by carlosalberto
- Eu nasci em janeiro.I was born in January.This sentence demonstrates using janeiro to state a birth month.Tatoeba #13972527 by carlosalberto, translation #13972543 by carlosalberto
- Eu o conheci em janeiro.I met him in January.This sentence shows how to express meeting someone during janeiro.Tatoeba #869340 by alexmarcelo, translation #641118 by CS
- Meu aniversário é em janeiro.My birthday is in January.
- Nós comemoramos em janeiro.We celebrate in January.
- O Carnaval ocorre em janeiro.Carnival happens in January.
- Janeiro marca o início do ano novo.January marks the beginning of the new year.
- A festa de São Sebastião é realizada em janeiro.The celebration of Saint Sebastian takes place in January.
- Eu vou para o Brasil em janeiro.I am going to Brazil in January.
- Janeiro é uma boa época para viajar para Cabo Verde.January is a good time to travel to Cape Verde.
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are discussing their vacation plans.
- RodrigoVocê quer viajar em janeiro?Do you want to travel in January?
- CamilaSim, em janeiro o tempo é ótimo.Yes, in January the weather is great.
- RodrigoEu também prefiro o calor de janeiro.I also prefer the heat of January.
- CamilaEntão vamos planejar nossa viagem.Then let's plan our trip.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “january” translations and entries janeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
