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月食 (げっしょく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

月げっ食しょく

げ

っ

しょ

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

lunar eclipse

astronomy

Astronomy term for an eclipse of the moon, used both in scientific contexts and ordinary news or conversation about sky events.

昨さく夜や、月げっ食しょくを観かん察さつした。
I observed a lunar eclipse last night.
次つぎの月げっ食しょくは日本にほんでも見

み

られる

そう

です

。

They say the next lunar eclipse will also be visible in Japan.

Written forms

月げっ食しょくUsage84%
Standard modern spelling and the high-priority form.
月げっ蝕しょくUsage16%
Alternative spelling using 蝕; less common than 月食 but understandable and still encountered, especially in more formal or older-looking writing.

Kanji

月month, moon
食eat, food
蝕eclipse, occultation, be defective

Similar words

日にっ食しょく
A solar eclipse, where the sun is obscured; 月食 refers specifically to the moon being eclipsed.
皆かい既き月げっ食しょく
A total lunar eclipse; it is a more specific type of 月食.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound: 月 means 'moon' and 食 here is conventionally used for 'eclipse.' The variant 月蝕 uses 蝕, a character associated with being eaten away or eclipsed.