年とし月つき

also: ねんげつ

と

し

つ

き

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

months and years; time; passage of time

Refers to the flow or accumulation of time, often with a sense of duration or the weight of passing years. Common in expressions like 年月が経つ (time passes).

年とし月つきが経たつのは早はやいものだ。
How quickly the months and years go by.
長ながい年とし月つきをかけてこの技ぎ術じゅつは発はっ展てんしてきた。
This technology has developed over many years.

See all 56 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉に長ながい年とし月つきがかかるfor something to take a long span of years
その研けん究きゅうには長ながい年とし月つきがかかった。
That research took many years to complete.
年とし月つきが経たつfor years/time to pass
あの事じ故こから長ながい年とし月つきが経たった。
Many years have passed since that accident.
長ながい年とし月つきをかけて〈動どう詞し〉to do something over the course of many years
彼かれは長ながい年とし月つきをかけて城しろを築きずいた。
He built the castle over many long years.

Kanji

年year, counter for years
月month, moon

Related words

歳さい月げつN1
歳月 is a more literary and formal word for the passage of time, while 年月 is the everyday word for the same idea.
月つき日ひN2
月日 and 年月 both mean 'the passage of time,' but 月日 slightly emphasizes the flow of days and months while 年月 emphasizes the accumulation of years.
年ねん数すう
年数 refers concretely to a countable number of years, while 年月 emphasizes the abstract duration or weight of time passing.

Don't confuse with

年ねん月がっ日ぴN1
年月日 means a specific calendar date (year, month, day), while 年月 means the passage or span of time itself.

Built from

年とし+月つき

Written forms

年月Usage100%
- としつき
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading としつき is the most common and natural.
- ねんげつ
  Alternate reading, somewhat more formal or literary; also used in some fixed compounds.
ねんげつ

Etymology

Compound of 年 (year) and 月 (month), literally 'years and months'. The reading としつき uses the native Japanese readings, while ねんげつ uses the Sino-Japanese readings.