Kanji Close-Up: 月

Halloween was last month, so I thought we could go over a Halloween related kanji: 月

Even if you feel comfortable using this simple kanji, I am sure there is something you can get out of this lesson, so hang in there with me.

Firstly, the kanji alone is pronounced つき and means “moon.” This is no surprise to most of you, as I am sure it's one of the first kanji you have learned.

It is also used in 月曜日（げつようび）meaning “Monday,” and in the name of each of the months: １月（いちがつ）、２月（にがつ）、etc. But if you think about it, this is also no surprise, because both “Monday,” and “month,” have origins in the word “moon,” so it is used the same way as in English.

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Here are a few example sentences of how 月 is used to refresh your memory:

月曜日は空いていますか。
げつようび　は　あいています　か。
Are you free on Monday?
Literally: “Monday + は + are free + か”

２ヶ月前に日本に来ました。
にかげつ　まえ　に　にほん　に　きました。
I came to Japan two months ago.
Literally: “two months + ago + に + Japan + に + came”

もう１０月なのに、毎日暑いですね。
もう　じゅうがつ　なのに、まいにち　あつい　です　ね。
Even though it's October, it's been hot every day.
Literally: “October + but (=なのに) + every day + hot + です + ね”

昨日は満月だった。
きのう　は　まんげつ　だった。
Last night was a full moon.
Literally: “yesterday + は + full moon + だった”

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Now for something different!

What you probably don’t know, is that the 月 kanji is also used as a radical in a bunch of kanji related to body parts.

For example 腕（うで）arm、胸（むね）chest、腹（はら）belly、脳（のう）brain、背（せ）back、肩（かた）shoulder、etc.
If you look closely at all of these kanji for body parts, you will see the radical 月 used in all of them.

But why? The moon doesn’t have anything to do with the body in either English or Japanese.

The reason is pretty funny actually. Back when Chinese characters were evolving, the kanji 月 and 肉 looked almost the same at one point. If you think about the stroke order and writing both of these kanji very fast, I think you should be able to see why they are similar. So in short, 月 became a kind of abbreviation of 肉.

If you don’t already know, 肉（にく） means “meat.” And this concept is much more closely related to body parts.

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Here are a few example sentences to solidify some of these kanji for you:

彼は左腕を骨折した。
かれ　は　ひだり　うで　を　こっせつした。
He broke his left arm.
Literally: “he + は + left + arm + を + broke”

胸焼けがする。
むねやけ　が　する。
I have heartburn.
Literally: “heartburn (=chest + burn) + が + do.”

お腹が痛い。
おなか　が　いたい。
My stomach hurts.
Literally: “stomach + が + hurts”

脳みそが溶けそうだ。
のうみそ　が　とけ　そう　だ。
I feel like my brain is melting.
Literally: “brains + が + seem like (it will) melt + だ”

あの背の高い老人は誰ですか。
あの　せ　の　たかい　ろうじん　は　だれ　です　か。
Who is that tall old person?
Literally: “that + back + の + tall + old person + は + who + です + か”

彼は肩をすくめた。
かれ　は　かた　を　すくめた。
He shrugged his shoulders.
Literally: “he + は + shoulders + を + shrugged”

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Now that you know that 月 comes up in a lot of kanji that mean body parts, you can guess the meanings of new kanji when you see them. These kind of radical clues are always helpful for learning new kanji. In fact learning just 30 of these kanji radicals can give you clues to over 75% of the Jouyou kanji (the ~2000 official kanji used in newspapers). So even if you learn just few they can be a huge step up in your Japanese studies. Get studying!

For more kanji radicals, check out this lesson: [NDL #165] - Totally Radical!

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This lesson was written by Cassy L., a guest contributor: