If you know how to count one to twelve in Japanese then it is very easy for you to say the names of the month. You just need to add gatsu (月) , month after the number. That is, January is ichi-gatsu (一月 or １月 ) , February is ni-gatsu (二月 or ２月 ) , March is san-gatsu (三月 or ３月 ) , April is shi-gatsu (四月 or ４月 ) , May is go-gatsu (五月 or ５月 ) , June is roku-gatsu (六月 or ６月 ) , July is shichi-gatsu (七月 or ７月 ) , August is hachi-gatsu (八月 or ８月 ) , September is ku-gatsu (九月 or ９月 ) , October is jyu-gatsu (十月 or １０月 ) , November is jyuichi-gatsu (十一月 or １１月 ) , and December is jyuni-gatsu (十二月 or １２月 ).
Besides these easy names we sometimes use the traditional lunar calendar names. January is mutuski (睦月: harmonious month ) , February is kisaragi (如月/衣更着: new plants) , March is yayoi (弥生: beginning of spring ) , April is uzuki (卯月: month of deutzia ) , May is satsuki (五月/皐月/早月: fast month ) , June is minazuki (水無月/六月: literally month without water, but actually water month ) , July is fumizuki (文月: letter month ) , August is hazuki (葉月: leaf month ) , September is nagatsuki (長月: long month ) , October is kannazuki (神無月: month without gods ) , November is shimotsuki (霜月: frost month ) , and December is shiwasu (師走: teacher run ) .
Which names do you prefer?
Though more difficult to remember, I prefer the lunar calendar names as they give a poetic nuance to the months and a human, seasonal link to them as well.
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