Japanese symbol for “january”
１月
いちがつ
Romaji: ichigatsu
January
In Japanese, january is １月, read いちがつ (ichigatsu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n January
- n first month of the lunar calendar
Written forms: １月、一月. Readings: いちがつ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “january”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 正月 | しょうがつ shougatsu | first month of the year; January |
| 睦月 | むつき mutsuki | January |
| 新正月 | しんしょうがつ shinshougatsu | January (according to the new calendar) |
| 十三月 | じゅうさんがつ juusangatsu | January; 13th month |
| お正月 | おしょうがつ oshougatsu | first month of the year; January |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今月 | こんげつ kongetsu | this month |
| 毎月 | まいつき maitsuki | every month; each month; monthly |
| 先月 | せんげつ sengetsu | last month |
| 月曜 | げつよう getsuyou | Monday |
| 来月 | らいげつ raigetsu | next month |
| 正月 | しょうがつ shougatsu | New Year (esp. first three days) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “january”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.