七しち月がつ

also: なながつ

し

ち

が

つ

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

July

The seventh month of the modern Gregorian calendar. The usual reading is しちがつ, though なながつ may be heard for clarity.

I will go to Hokkaido in July.

日本にほんでは七しち月がつから本ほん格かく的てきに暑あつくなる。

In Japan, it starts getting seriously hot from July.

2

seventh month of the lunar calendar

Used in traditional-calendar or historical contexts. This is not necessarily the same period as modern July.

文ふみ月づき sense 1
文月 is the traditional, poetic name for the seventh month used in classical or seasonal contexts, while 七月 is the plain modern numeral name for July.

四し月がつN5sense 1
七月 (しちがつ, July) and 四月 (しがつ, April) sound very similar because of the し/しち contrast, so learners often mishear or mispronounce one for the other.
八はち月がつN5
七月 (July) comes right before 八月 (August), so learners scanning kanji quickly can mix up which month is which.

七月
- しちがつ
  Standard kanji spelling and standard reading for July.
- なながつ
  Alternative reading, often used in speech to avoid confusion with 一月 or other similar-sounding month names; しちがつ is the standard dictionary reading.
７月
- しちがつ
  Very common numeric spelling in everyday writing, schedules, and dates.
- なながつ
  Numeric spelling read with the alternative pronunciation なながつ in careful speech or clarification.
なながつ

七 means 'seven' and 月 means 'month' or 'moon'; together they form the ordinary numeric month name 'seventh month.'