Chinese Months of the Year
Learn how to say months in simplified Chinese: 月份 yuèfèn. The good news is that Chinese months are gloriously logical. No weird “September means seven but is actually nine” nonsense.
If you can count from one to twelve in Chinese, you can already say every month of the year. Chinese uses a very simple pattern: number + 月 yuè, which means “month.”
That means January is 一月 yīyuè, February is 二月 èryuè, and the pattern keeps going all the way to 十二月 shí’èryuè. Nice. Civilized. Suspiciously efficient.
Yak Tip
Do not overcomplicate this. English month names are little spelling monsters. Chinese month names are basically math with better handwriting.
The Pattern You Need
| Pattern | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 数字 + 月 shùzì + yuè | number + month | 三月很忙。 | Sānyuè hěn máng. | March is very busy. |
| 几月 jǐ yuè | what month? | 你的生日是几月？ | Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè? | What month is your birthday? |
| 在 + 月 zài + yuè | in a month | 我们六月去北京。 | Wǒmen liùyuè qù Běijīng. | We are going to Beijing in June. |
Months Of The Year In Chinese
一月 yīyuè
January
一月很冷。
Yīyuè hěn lěng.
January is cold.
二月 èryuè
February
二月有春节。
Èryuè yǒu Chūnjié.
Spring Festival is in February.
三月 sānyuè
March
三月天气很好。
Sānyuè tiānqì hěn hǎo.
The weather is very nice in March.
四月 sìyuè
April
四月我很忙。
Sìyuè wǒ hěn máng.
I am very busy in April.
五月 wǔyuè
May
五月有很多假期。
Wǔyuè yǒu hěn duō jiàqī.
There are many holidays in May.
六月 liùyuè
June
六月开始热了。
Liùyuè kāishǐ rè le.
It starts to get hot in June.
七月 qīyuè
July
七月学生放暑假。
Qīyuè xuéshēng fàng shǔjià.
Students have summer vacation in July.
八月 bāyuè
August
八月还是很热。
Bāyuè háishi hěn rè.
August is still very hot.
九月 jiǔyuè
September
九月学校开学。
Jiǔyuè xuéxiào kāixué.
School starts in September.
十月 shíyuè
October
十月天气很舒服。
Shíyuè tiānqì hěn shūfu.
The weather is very comfortable in October.
十一月 shíyīyuè
November
十一月越来越冷。
Shíyīyuè yuèláiyuè lěng.
It gets colder and colder in November.
十二月 shí’èryuè
December
十二月大家准备过年。
Shí’èryuè dàjiā zhǔnbèi guònián.
In December, everyone gets ready for the New Year.
Useful Month Words And Phrases
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 月份 | yuèfèn | month; months | 我会说十二个月份。 | Wǒ huì shuō shí’èr ge yuèfèn. | I can say the twelve months. |
| 这个月 | zhège yuè | this month | 这个月我很忙。 | Zhège yuè wǒ hěn máng. | I am very busy this month. |
| 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | last month | 上个月我去了上海。 | Shàng ge yuè wǒ qù le Shànghǎi. | I went to Shanghai last month. |
| 下个月 | xià ge yuè | next month | 下个月我们考试。 | Xià ge yuè wǒmen kǎoshì. | We have an exam next month. |
| 每个月 | měi ge yuè | every month | 我每个月都看一本书。 | Wǒ měi ge yuè dōu kàn yì běn shū. | I read one book every month. |
| 月初 | yuèchū | beginning of the month | 月初我比较轻松。 | Yuèchū wǒ bǐjiào qīngsōng. | I am more relaxed at the beginning of the month. |
| 月中 | yuèzhōng | middle of the month | 月中要交作业。 | Yuèzhōng yào jiāo zuòyè. | The homework is due in the middle of the month. |
| 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month | 月底我要发工资。 | Yuèdǐ wǒ yào fā gōngzī. | I get paid at the end of the month. |
| 年 | nián | year | 今年是二〇二六年。 | Jīnnián shì èr líng èr liù nián. | This year is 2026. |
| 日历 | rìlì | calendar | 我的日历在桌子上。 | Wǒ de rìlì zài zhuōzi shàng. | My calendar is on the desk. |
How To Ask And Answer About Months
What month is it?
现在是几月？
Xiànzài shì jǐ yuè?
What month is it now?
It is May.
现在是五月。
Xiànzài shì wǔyuè.
It is May now.
What month is your birthday?
你的生日是几月？
Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?
What month is your birthday?
My birthday is in August.
我的生日是八月。
Wǒ de shēngrì shì bāyuè.
My birthday is in August.
I will travel in July.
我七月去旅行。
Wǒ qīyuè qù lǚxíng.
I will travel in July.
School starts in September.
九月开学。
Jiǔyuè kāixué.
School starts in September.
Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes
- Wrong: 一月份 yīyuèfèn for normal month names.
Better: 一月 yīyuè.
Use 月 yuè for standard month names. 月份 yuèfèn is fine when talking about “months” as a category. - Wrong: Saying month names without the number pattern.
Better: Remember number + 月 yuè.
六月 liùyuè is literally “six-month,” which is how Chinese says June. - Wrong: Forgetting tones in pinyin.
Better: Learn the sound with the word: 九月 jiǔyuè, not just “jiuyue” floating around like a lost sock. - Wrong: Mixing up 二月 èryuè and 十二月 shí’èryuè.
Better: Listen for the full beginning. 十二 shí’èr is “twelve,” not “two.”
Quick Reference Summary
| Month | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yīyuè |
| February | 二月 | èryuè |
| March | 三月 | sānyuè |
| April | 四月 | sìyuè |
| May | 五月 | wǔyuè |
| June | 六月 | liùyuè |
| July | 七月 | qīyuè |
| August | 八月 | bāyuè |
| September | 九月 | jiǔyuè |
| October | 十月 | shíyuè |
| November | 十一月 | shíyīyuè |
| December | 十二月 | shí’èryuè |
Practice With Real Dates
- 我的生日是三月。
Wǒ de shēngrì shì sānyuè.
My birthday is in March. - 我们十月去中国。
Wǒmen shíyuè qù Zhōngguó.
We are going to China in October. - 下个月是六月。
Xià ge yuè shì liùyuè.
Next month is June. - 现在是十一月。
Xiànzài shì shíyīyuè.
It is November now.
Final Yak Box
The whole system is wonderfully simple: one number, one 月 yuè, done. Learn the numbers from one to twelve, and you have all twelve months ready to go. That is not just useful Chinese. That is a rare moment when language learning behaves itself.
