月 meaning and stroke order
Moon; month; monthly
How to write 月, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 月
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- moon
- month
- monthly
How 月 is built
Pictographic character. A crescent moon.
How to remember 月
月 is a picture of a crescent moon. The outer frame 冂 is the curved edge of the moon, and the two short lines 二 inside are its shadows, and since the moon cycles once a month, 月 also means month.
月 is used for months: put a number before it, so 一月 (yī yuè) is January and 十二月 (shí'èr yuè) is December. For the moon in the sky, people usually say 月亮 (yuèliang). Example: 我下个月去北京。 (Wǒ xià ge yuè qù Běijīng.) I am going to Beijing next month.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 一月 (yī yuè, January) and 一个月 (yí ge yuè, one month as a length of time). Also, do not confuse 月 with 日 (rì, sun; day), which is a closed box, while 月 is open at the bottom with a hooked left stroke.
Common words with 月
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月亮 | yuèliang | the moon | HSK 2 |
| 月份 | yuèfèn | month | HSK 2 |
| 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | last month | HSK 4 |
| 下个月 | xià ge yuè | next month | HSK 4 |
| 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month | HSK 4 |
| 月球 | yuèqiú | the moon | HSK 5 |
| 岁月 | suìyuè | years; time | HSK 5 |
| 月饼 | yuèbing | mooncake (esp. for the Mid-Autumn Festival) | HSK 5 |
| 蜜月 | mìyuè | honeymoon | HSK 7-9 |
| 月初 | yuèchū | start of month; early in the month | HSK 7-9 |
| 腊月 | làyuè | twelfth lunar month | HSK 7-9 |
| 月票 | yuèpiào | monthly ticket | HSK 7-9 |
| 日新月异 | rìxīn-yuèyì | daily renewal, monthly change (idiom); every day sees new developments | HSK 7-9 |
| 月光 | yuèguāng | moonlight |
月 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 月
Learning 月 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 月
How many strokes are in 月?
月 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 月 mean?
月 (yuè) means moon; month; monthly. A common word with it is 月亮 (yuèliang), meaning "the moon".
How do you pronounce 月?
月 is pronounced yuè, in the fourth tone (falling).
Is 月 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 月 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why do so many body part characters contain 月?
In characters like 肚 (dù, belly) and 脸 (liǎn, face), the 月 shape is actually a form of 肉 (ròu, meat; flesh). It looks the same as the moon 月, but there it relates to the body, not the moon.
How do I say a date with 月 in Chinese?
Chinese dates go from large to small: year, month, day. For example, 五月三号 (wǔ yuè sān hào) means May 3rd, and in writing you often see 5月3日.