How to Say "Moon" in Japanese

月

tsuki[t͡sɨ̥kʲi]

The Japanese word for moon is 月 (tsuki).

月 is used to refer to the natural satellite of the Earth. It is also the word used to mean 'month'.

Meaning: the natural satellite of planet Earth (noun)

Related words

The word 月 is polysemous, meaning it carries the dual meaning of both 'moon' and 'month' depending on the context.

tsuki

In traditional Japanese poetry, the phrase 月が綺麗ですね ('the moon is beautiful, isn't it') is often used as a subtle, indirect way to say 'I love you'.
Japanese folklore tells of a rabbit living on the 月 that pounds rice cakes with a mortar and pestle.
During the Edo period, 月 was used in a poetic slang to categorize the lowest rank of prostitutes in the Kansai region.

月は昇った。
The moon has come out.
This sentence is useful for describing the moon coming out.
Tatoeba #175637 by wat, translation #2171520 by CK
月が沈んだ。
The moon has set.
This sentence is useful for describing the moon setting.
Tatoeba #175672 by arnab, translation #238792 by CM
月がきれいよ。
The moon is beautiful.
This sentence is useful for describing the beauty of the moon.
Tatoeba #8634780 by small_snow, translation #5774855 by Amgaray
夜空に美しい月が輝いている。
The beautiful moon is shining in the night sky.
真夜中に窓から月光が差し込む。
Moonlight streams in through the window at midnight.
今日はお月さまがきれいだね！
The moon looks beautiful today!
160 more sentences on Tatoeba

A couple is looking up at the night sky in a park.

陽葵 Himari

月がとても明るいね。
Tsuki ga totemo akarui ne.
The moon is very bright, isn't it?
大翔 Hiroto

本当だ。きれいな月だね。
Hontou da. Kirei na tsuki da ne.
It really is. It's a beautiful moon.
陽葵 Himari

大翔君、月を見て。
Hiroto-kun, tsuki o mite.
Hiroto, look at the moon.
大翔 Hiroto

うん、すごく大きいよ。
Un, sugoku ookii yo.
Yeah, it's huge.

Sources

Wiktionary, “moon” translations and entries 月, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 月, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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