今月
kongetsu
今月 (kongetsu) is the Japanese phrase for "this month".
今月 is used to refer to the current calendar month in which the speaker is presently living.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 今 (now/current) and 月 (month).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the phrase to change its grammatical function. Adding the particle の to 今月 creates 今月の, which means "this month's" and allows the phrase to function as a possessive or an attributive modifier, such as "this month's budget". Additionally, adding the topic marker は to create 今月は means "as for this month". This is common when setting the month as the topic of a sentence or when contrasting it with other months.
How do you pronounce it?
kongetsu
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the moon 月 serves as the word for both 'month' and 'moon'. This reflects an ancient lunar calendar where the appearance of a new moon marked the start of a new month.
- The character 今 changes its pronunciation from 'ima' to 'kon' specifically when it forms a compound like 今月. This shift is a key marker of the difference between a standalone word and a kanji compound.
- While English speakers often say 'this month' to mean 'the current period', Japanese speakers use 今月 strictly for the calendar month. Using it to refer to a '30-day period' starting from today would be considered incorrect.
Examples in context
- 今月は金欠なの。Money's tight for me this month.This sentence is useful for expressing that one is short on money using 今月.Tatoeba #11609879 by small_snow, translation #4436922 by ulymarrero
- 今月は黒字である。We are in the black this month.This sentence is useful for stating that one is in the black using 今月.Tatoeba #172454 by small_snow, translation #242021 by CC
- 今月は雨が多かった。We've had a lot of rain this month.This sentence is useful for noting that there was much rain using 今月.Tatoeba #172456 by tommy__san, translation #242019 by CK
- 今月の予定を教えてください。Can you please tell me this month's schedule?
- 来週から今月末まで出張します。I will be on a business trip from next week until the end of this month.
- 今月の予定を教えてよ。Can you tell me this month's schedule?
- 今月の給料がようやく入った。I finally received this month's salary.
- 44 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their schedules.
- 大翔 Hiroto今月は忙しいですか？Kongetsu wa isogashii desu ka?Are you busy this month?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、今月は予定がいっぱいです。Hai, kongetsu wa yotei ga ippai desu.Yes, my schedule is full this month.
- 大翔 Hirotoそれは大変ですね。Sore wa taihen desu ne.That sounds tough.
- 陽葵 Himari来月になれば落ち着きます。Raigetsu ni nareba ochitsukimasu.It will settle down once it's next month.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
