月
tsuki[t͡sɨ̥kʲi]
tsuki is the Japanese word for moon.
The word refers to both the moon and the concept of a month, with the specific meaning determined by the context in which it is used.
What does it mean word for word?
月 can mean both moon and month.
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the phrase tsuki ga kirei desu ne meaning 'the moon is beautiful, isn't it' is famously used as a poetic way to say 'I love you'.
- In the Edo period, the reading gachi was used as a slang term for a low-ranking prostitute in the Kansai region.
- The character 月 is a pictograph that originally looked like a crescent moon before becoming the stylized form used today.
Examples in context
- 私は月が大好きです。I love the moon.
- 今晩、綺麗な月が出ているよ！Tonight, a beautiful moon is out!
- 月さん、今晩も綺麗だね！Mr./Ms. Moon, you look beautiful tonight too!
- 月がとても綺麗です。tsuki ga totemo kirei desu.The moon is very beautiful.
- 今夜は月が明るいですね。konya wa tsuki ga akarui desu ne.The moon is bright tonight, isn't it?
- 雲に隠れた月を探しました。kumo ni kakureta tsuki o sagashimashita.I looked for the moon hidden in the clouds.
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are looking at the night sky together.
- 陽葵 Himari見て、月が出ているよ。Mite, tsuki ga dete iru yo.Look, the moon is out.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ、すごく明るいね。Hontou da, sugoku akarui ne.You're right, it's very bright.
- 陽葵 Himari今夜の月は形が不思議だね。Konya no tsuki wa katachi ga fushigi da ne.The moon has a strange shape tonight.
- 健太 Kenta確かに、少し欠けているね。Tashika ni, sukoshi kakete iru ne.True, it is slightly crescent.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 月, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 月, CC BY-SA 4.0.
