月日
tsukihi[t͡sɨ̥kʲiçi]
In Japanese, the phrase for "month and date" is 月日 (tsukihi).
月日 refers to a specific month and day. Beyond its literal meaning, it is frequently used in a poetic or literary sense to signify "time" or the passing of days.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of two parts: 月, meaning "month" and 日, meaning "day".
How do you pronounce it?
tsukihi
Did you know?
- Japan uses a unique era system where the 'year' changes based on the reigning Emperor. This means a specific 月日 can belong to different era names, such as 'Reiwa' or 'Heisei'.
- There are 'special' readings for certain days of the month that do not follow standard counting rules. For example, the first day of the month is ついたち (tsuitachi), which shares no phonetic root with the word for 'one'.
- The characters in 月日 represent the 'moon' and the 'sun'. This reflects an ancient worldview where the cycles of these two celestial bodies defined the measurement of time.
Examples in context
- 私の誕生日は十月十六日です。My birthday is October 16th.
- 夏季休暇は八月中旬にあります。The summer vacation is in mid-August.
- 正しい月日か確認しましょう。tadashii tsukihi ka kakunin shimasho.Let's confirm if it is the correct month and date.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are planning a trip together.
- 健太 Kenta旅行の月日を決めよう。ryokou no getsu-hi o kimeyou.Let's decide on the month and date for the trip.
- 結衣 Yui来月の連休はどうかな？raigetsu no renkyuu wa dou kana?How about the consecutive holidays next month?
- 健太 Kentaいい考えだね。カレンダーを見るよ。ii kangae da ne. karendaa o miru yo.That's a good idea. I'll check the calendar.
- 結衣 Yui具体的な月日を教えてね。gu-taiteki na getsu-hi o oshiete ne.Let me know the specific month and date.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 月日, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 月日, CC BY-SA 4.0.
