月
jyut⁶
The Cantonese word for "month" is 月 (jyut⁶).
月 is used to refer to the concept of a month or to name a specific month in a year. When you are counting a quantity of months or expressing a duration, you must use a different construction involving a measure word.
Meaning: period into which a year is divided (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The character 月 literally means "moon", which serves as the root for the concept of a "month".
Which one should you use?
Use 月 when referring to the name of a month or the concept itself. However, if you are counting how many months have passed or describing a duration, you must use the construction involving the measure word 個.
How does it change in a sentence?
To name the specific months of the year, combine a number with 月, such as 一月 for January. When counting a duration of months, you must place the measure word 個 between the number and 月, forming the construction 個月.
How do you pronounce it?
jyut⁶
Did you know?
- The character 月 is also used as a radical in many other characters, where it often represents 'flesh' or 'body' rather than the moon, such as in the word for 'shoulder' 肩.
- If you forget the measure word 個 and say 'two months' as 二月, a local listener might think you are actually talking about the month of February.
- In traditional Cantonese culture, the 'Lunar Month' is measured by the phases of the moon, and the term 農曆 refers to the agricultural calendar that defines these months.
Examples in context
- 上個月渠去過倫敦。He went to London a month ago.This sentence shows how to use 月 to refer to a month ago.Tatoeba #12097650 by thesilhouette, translation #694494 by Eldad
- 佢一個月剪三次頭髮。He gets a haircut three times a month.This sentence demonstrates using 月 to describe a frequency occurring within a month.Tatoeba #642564 by nickyeow, translation #295904 by CK
- 我每個月俾好多錢你。I give you plenty of money each month.This sentence illustrates the use of 月 to describe a recurring monthly action.Tatoeba #4646192 by kaenif, translation #2329579 by CK
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a work project.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung呢個項目要用幾個月？ni1 go3 hong6 muk6 jiu3 jung6 gei2 go3 jyut6?How many months will this project take?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit大約要三個月。daai6 joek3 jiu3 saam1 go3 jyut6.About three months.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung三個月好長喎。saam1 go3 jyut6 hou2 coeng4 wo3.Three months is quite long.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit係呀，要加油呀。hai6 aa3, jiu3 gaa1 jau2 aa3.Yeah, we need to work hard.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “month” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
