Month in Different Languages
Discover 'Month' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'month' holds great significance in our lives as it helps us to track time and organize our daily activities. It is a unit of time, used with the calendar, which is approximately as long as a natural period related to the motion of the Moon; month and Moon are cognates.
Months have been an essential part of various cultures and civilizations, and they have been named after various things such as gods, numbers, and natural events. For instance, the English name 'September' is derived from the Latin 'septem', meaning 'seven', as it was the seventh month in the ancient Roman calendar.
Knowing the translation of the word 'month' in different languages can be beneficial for people who travel, work with international clients, or are learning a new language. It can also provide insight into the cultural significance of the word in various languages and regions.
Here are some translations of the word 'month' in different languages: Spanish - mes, French - mois, German - Monat, Italian - mese, Chinese - 月 (yuè), Japanese - 月 (tsuki), Korean - 월 (wol), Arabic - شهر (shahr), Hindi - माह (māh), and Russian - месяц (mesyats).
Month
Month in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | maand | ||
| The Afrikaans word "maand" is cognate with the German "Mond" ("moon"), both derived from the Proto-Germanic *mēnōn | |||
| Amharic | ወር | ||
| "ወር" in Amharic can also refer to the verb 'to inherit; to be an heir.' | |||
| Hausa | wata | ||
| Hausa's wata "month" also refers to the moon's phases as its etymology derives from Arabic's waqt "time". | |||
| Igbo | ọnwa | ||
| "Ọnwa" also means "moon" in Igbo; both words share the same root." | |||
| Malagasy | volana | ||
| The Malagasy word "volana" also means "moon" in Malay, "month" in Javanese, and "time" in Acehnese. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mwezi | ||
| In Nyanja, "mwezi" can also refer to the moon, as the moon is used to track the passage of months. | |||
| Shona | mwedzi | ||
| The word 'mwedzi' also means 'moon' in Chishona, suggesting a connection between the lunar cycle and the passage of time. | |||
| Somali | bil | ||
| The word "bil" in Somali is derived from the Proto-Cushitic root *bil, meaning "moon," and also refers to the period of time between two full moons. | |||
| Sesotho | khoeli | ||
| The word "khoeli" also means "moon" in Sesotho, as the lunar cycle is used to determine the start of each month. | |||
| Swahili | mwezi | ||
| In Swahili, "mwezi" also means "moon" as the month is based on the lunar cycle. | |||
| Xhosa | inyanga | ||
| The word "inyanga" can also refer to a traditional healer or diviner in Xhosa culture. | |||
| Yoruba | osù | ||
| Yoruba word "osù" also means "portion," or "destiny or allotment allotted to a person." | |||
| Zulu | inyanga | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'inyanga' is also a term for 'traditional healer'. | |||
| Bambara | kalo | ||
| Ewe | ɣleti | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ukwezi | ||
| Lingala | sanza | ||
| Luganda | omwezi | ||
| Sepedi | kgwedi | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bosome | ||
Month in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شهر | ||
| In Arabic, "شهر" (month) also signifies a city or town, as in "مدينة" (city). | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹדֶשׁ | ||
| The Hebrew word for month, "חוֹדֶשׁ" ("chodesh"), also means "new (moon)" and "renewal". | |||
| Pashto | میاشت | ||
| The word "میاشت" can also refer to a period of 30 days. | |||
| Arabic | شهر | ||
| In Arabic, "شهر" (month) also signifies a city or town, as in "مدينة" (city). | |||
Month in Western European Languages
| Albanian | muaj | ||
| The word "muaj" is also used in some Albanian dialects with the meaning "moon" and derives from the Latin "mensis". | |||
| Basque | hilabetea | ||
| The Basque word "hilabetea" is a compound word composed of the words "hila" (meaning "moon") and "bete" (meaning "full"). | |||
| Catalan | mes | ||
| Catalan "mes" can also mean "harvest" or "crop," reflecting its agricultural roots. | |||
| Croatian | mjesec | ||
| The word 'mjesec' in Croatian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'měsěc', which also means 'moon'. | |||
| Danish | måned | ||
| The Danish word "måned" is derived from the Middle Low German word "manen", meaning "moon". It is related to the English word "moon", and also to the Latin word "mensis", from which the English word "month" is derived. | |||
| Dutch | maand | ||
| Maand ultimately derives from the Proto-Germanic word *mēnōths, referring to the moon, and is cognate with the English word "moon". | |||
| English | month | ||
| "Month" derives from Old English and is related to "moon," reflecting the moon's influence on early timekeeping systems. | |||
| French | mois | ||
| The French word "mois" derives from the Latin word "mensis," which can mean "moon" or "month." | |||
| Frisian | moanne | ||
| The word "moanne" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*mēnō" meaning "moon" and is used in many Frisian dialects to refer to both months and moons. | |||
| Galician | mes | ||
| "Mes" in Galician comes from the Latin word "mensis", which can also mean "menstruation" or "the moon" | |||
| German | monat | ||
| In Old English, the word "monað" referred to the celestial journey of the moon. | |||
| Icelandic | mánuði | ||
| The Icelandic word "mánuði" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "*mēnṓþs", which also meant "moon". | |||
| Irish | mhí | ||
| The Irish word "mhí" may have originated from the Proto-Indo-European root "*me-/*meh-", meaning "moon" or "measure". | |||
| Italian | mese | ||
| The word "mese" is derived from the Latin word "mensis", meaning "moon". | |||
| Luxembourgish | mount | ||
| Mount, pronounced identical to the English month, is an archaic form of the word "Mount". | |||
| Maltese | xahar | ||
| Maltese <xahar> for "month" is cognate with Arabic <šahr> "city, region, division of time" and Syriac <šehra> "time, period, season" | |||
| Norwegian | måned | ||
| The Norwegian word "måned" is etymologically related to the English word "moon" due to the ancient lunar-based calendars in use prior to our modern solar system. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | mês | ||
| The word "mês" comes from the Latin word "mensis", which also means "month". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mìos | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "mìos" also refers to a moon phase, such as a new moon or full moon. | |||
| Spanish | mes | ||
| Mes in Spanish also means "menses" and the origin of the word is the Latin "mensis" with the same meaning. | |||
| Swedish | månad | ||
| The word month in Swedish is spelled 'månad', which is cognate to the English word moon and means 'moon period'. | |||
| Welsh | mis | ||
| The Welsh word "mis" may also mean "harvest" or "crop" in some contexts. | |||
Month in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | месяц | ||
| The word "месяц" in Belarusian can also refer to the moon because Belarusian does not have a separate word for moon. | |||
| Bosnian | mjesec | ||
| "Mjesec" is derived from the Indo-European root "*mēnsis" and shares its root with "moon" in English. | |||
| Bulgarian | месец | ||
| Месец (mesec), meaning "month" in Bulgarian, is related to the word "moon" (месечина mesechina) and shares similarities with the term in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Czech | měsíc | ||
| The Czech word "Měsíc" derives from the Proto-Slavic word for 'moon', as it was originally used to describe the time between two new moons. | |||
| Estonian | kuu | ||
| "Kuu" also means "moon" in Estonian, cognate with English "moon". | |||
| Finnish | kuukausi | ||
| "Kuukausi" is rooted in the word "kuu" (moon), signifying the role of the moon's phases in tracking time. | |||
| Hungarian | hónap | ||
| The word "hónap" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *k̑ṃh₃-no- "moon". | |||
| Latvian | mēnesī | ||
| The word mēnesis can also mean “moon” as in “the night of the full moon” (pilnmēness nakts). | |||
| Lithuanian | mėnesį | ||
| Lithuanian word "mėnesį" originated from "mėnuo" - "moon". | |||
| Macedonian | месец | ||
| The word "месец" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *měsęcъ, which originally meant "moon" but later came to mean "month" in most Slavic languages. | |||
| Polish | miesiąc | ||
| In Polish, the word "miesiąc" can also refer to the moon. | |||
| Romanian | lună | ||
| The Romanian word "lună" is derived from the Latin word "luna" meaning "moon" and it also means "moon" in Romanian. | |||
| Russian | месяц | ||
| "Месяц" is also an old name for the moon. | |||
| Serbian | месец дана | ||
| The word 'месец дана' (month) in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic word 'měsęcь', which originally meant 'moon' but later acquired its current meaning. | |||
| Slovak | mesiac | ||
| The word "mesiac" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *měsęcь, which also means "moon" | |||
| Slovenian | mesec | ||
| The word "mesec" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "měsęcь", meaning both "moon" and "month". | |||
| Ukrainian | місяць | ||
| The Ukrainian word місяць (month) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word měsęcь, which also meant 'moon'. In fact, it is related to the English word 'moon', as both are ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mēnsis, meaning 'moon' or 'month'. | |||
Month in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মাস | ||
| The Bengali word "মাস" (mas) can also mean "amount in a contract between the landlord and tenant" or "the interest added to the principal during an agreed period as per the terms of a loan agreement". | |||
| Gujarati | માસ | ||
| The word "માસ" can also refer to a specific type of lentil in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | महीना | ||
| Derived from Sanskrit, the word 'महीना' (month) has its roots in 'मास' (moon) and 'मातृ' (mother), reflecting the moon's significance in shaping menstrual cycles and ancient calendars. | |||
| Kannada | ತಿಂಗಳು | ||
| In Kannada, "ತಿಂಗಳು" can also refer to a specific day of the week, similar to the days of the week in English. | |||
| Malayalam | മാസം | ||
| The word "മാസം" (month) in Malayalam also denotes a period of time marked by a specific lunar phase. | |||
| Marathi | महिना | ||
| The word "महिना" in Marathi not only means "month" but also refers to a "lunar month" or a "period of 30 days". | |||
| Nepali | महिना | ||
| The Nepali word 'maahinā' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'māsa' which means 'moon'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮਹੀਨਾ | ||
| The word "ਮਹੀਨਾ" in Punjabi shares the same Indo-European root as the English "moon" and is linked to the waxing and waning of the moon. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මස | ||
| The word "මස" (masa) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit word "māsa", meaning both "month" and "moon." | |||
| Tamil | மாதம் | ||
| The word 'மாதம்' could also mean a period of 60 days in ancient Tamil texts like the 'Thirukkural' | |||
| Telugu | నెల | ||
| "నెల" (month) originates from the Dravidian root "nal", meaning "day" or "sun". It is also used to measure time periods of approximately a month, such as "garbha nelu" (pregnancy), "pradhana nelu" (menstrual cycle), and "rutu nelu" (season). | |||
| Urdu | مہینہ | ||
| مہینہ (Mahina) is a cognate of the word **'mind'** in English, derived from the Sanskrit word **'manas'** meaning 'intellect' or 'measure', reflecting the ancient concept of the moon's influence on mental cycles. | |||
Month in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 月 | ||
| "月" can also be a measure word for a group of people, as in "一月光辉". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 月 | ||
| In the oracle bone script, the character "月" refers to the shape of the moon in its waning crescent phase. | |||
| Japanese | 月 | ||
| In some cases, "月" can also refer to the moon or the symbol for a specific month. | |||
| Korean | 달 | ||
| In Middle Korean, “달 (/dal/)” meant “moon,” and it was used interchangeably with “一月 (/ilwol/).” | |||
| Mongolian | сар | ||
| "Сар" comes from an Old Mongolian word "jabu", meaning "new moon" or "moon month" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လ | ||
| The word "လ" is also used to refer to the astrological sign associated with a particular month in Myanmar (Burmese). | |||
Month in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | bulan | ||
| "Bulan" also means "moon" in Indonesian, derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "bulan" which meant "moon". | |||
| Javanese | wulan | ||
| "Wulan" in Javanese is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "bulan" meaning "moon", and is also used to refer to the moon in modern Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | ខែ | ||
| The word "ខែ" can also mean "moon" or "lunar month" in Khmer, reflecting the lunar calendar's influence on traditional Khmer culture. | |||
| Lao | ເດືອນ | ||
| The word "ເດືອນ" in Lao can also refer to the Moon or a period of thirty days. | |||
| Malay | bulan | ||
| The word "bulan" in Malay is cognate with "bulan" in Indonesian, "bulan" in Filipino, and "buwan" in Cebuano, all deriving from the Proto-Austronesian word for "moon". | |||
| Thai | เดือน | ||
| เดือน comes from the Sanskrit word "māsa" meaning "moon" and also denotes a lunar month. | |||
| Vietnamese | tháng | ||
| "Tháng" can also refer to a period of time lasting 30 days, the time it takes the moon to go through its phases | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buwan | ||
Month in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ay | ||
| The word "ay" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Turkic word "ay" and also means "moon". | |||
| Kazakh | ай | ||
| The Kazakh word "ай" for "month" is cognate with Persian "ماه" (māh), meaning the same, and ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European "*meh₁s" (moon). | |||
| Kyrgyz | ай | ||
| The word "ай" can also refer to the moon, as in the phrase "айдын нуру" (moonlight). | |||
| Tajik | моҳ | ||
| In Sogdian, this word meant “moon“; in the Avesta, it meant “time, length of time,“ while in modern Persian, it refers to “season“ | |||
| Turkmen | aý | ||
| Uzbek | oy | ||
| The word "oy" in Uzbek can also refer to the "moon" or a "lunar month". | |||
| Uyghur | ئاي | ||
Month in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mahina | ||
| The word 'mahina' also means 'moon' and is similar to 'marama' in some Polynesian languages. | |||
| Maori | marama | ||
| In Maori, "marama" can also refer to the glow of the moon or the lunar cycle. | |||
| Samoan | masina | ||
| Masina can also refer to a particular moon phase, the new moon, or the period of darkness between the last quarter moon and the new moon. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | buwan | ||
| Cognate with Proto-Austronesian *bulan 'moon, month', from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bulan 'moon' | |||
Month in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | phaxsi | ||
| Guarani | jasy | ||
Month in International Languages
| Esperanto | monato | ||
| Latin | mensis | ||
| The Latin word "mensis" originally meant "moon" and was later extended to mean "month" because the lunar cycle was used to measure time. | |||
Month in Others Languages
| Greek | μήνας | ||
| The word "μήνας" (month) in Greek derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*meh₁-n-s", also meaning "moon". | |||
| Hmong | lub hli | ||
| "Lub hli" in Hmong is a combination of two words: "lub," meaning moon, and "hli," meaning round or circular. | |||
| Kurdish | meh | ||
| Meh in Kurdish also means 'good' or 'well' in Persian | |||
| Turkish | ay | ||
| The Turkish word "ay" can also refer to the moon or "menses." | |||
| Xhosa | inyanga | ||
| The word "inyanga" can also refer to a traditional healer or diviner in Xhosa culture. | |||
| Yiddish | חודש | ||
| In Yiddish, "חודש" also means "new moon" or the beginning of a lunar month. | |||
| Zulu | inyanga | ||
| In Zulu, the word 'inyanga' is also a term for 'traditional healer'. | |||
| Assamese | মাহ | ||
| Aymara | phaxsi | ||
| Bhojpuri | महीना | ||
| Dhivehi | މަސް | ||
| Dogri | म्हीना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buwan | ||
| Guarani | jasy | ||
| Ilocano | bulan | ||
| Krio | mɔnt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | مانگ | ||
| Maithili | मास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥ | ||
| Mizo | thla | ||
| Oromo | ji'a | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମାସ | ||
| Quechua | killa | ||
| Sanskrit | माह | ||
| Tatar | ай | ||
| Tigrinya | ወርሒ | ||
| Tsonga | n'hweti | ||