Chinese

Proper noun

五月

1. May
2. The modern name for the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

Synonyms

• (lunar month): 榴月 (Liúyuè), 蒲月, 仲夏 (zhòngxià), 飄香／飘香, 皋月, 鬱月／郁月, 午 (wǔ)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Compound of Middle Chinese-derived elements 五 ‎(go, “five, fifth”) +‎ 月 ‎(gatsu, “month”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Goon
• (Tokyo) ご​がつ [góꜜgàtsù] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɡo̞ɡ̃a̠t͡sɯᵝ]

Noun

五月 ‎(hiragana ごがつ, romaji gogatsu, historical hiragana ごぐわつ)

1. the month of May

Usage notes

The term gogatsu is the most common term for the month of May in modern Japanese. The synonyms satsuki and sanaezuki are archaic and may be used in historical or poetic contexts.

Synonyms

• 五月 (satsuki) (see below)
• 早苗月 ‎(sanaezuki)

Etymology 2

五月 (satsuki): the Japanese azalea, Rhododendron indicum.

Explained in some sources^[4] as a possible contraction of 早苗月 ‎(sanaezuki, another old name for the month of May). However, the initial sa- element appears in many ancient terms relating to the rice plant,^[5] making it more likely that the sa- in satsuki is not a contraction. Some sources^[5] thus list satsuki instead as a compound of さ ‎(sa, ancient word relating to rice, here referring to the planting season) +‎ 月 ‎(tsuki, “moon; month”).

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
• (Tokyo) さつき [sàtsúkí] (Heiban - [0])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [sa̠t͡sɯ̥ᵝkʲi]

Alternative forms

• 皐月, (very rare) 早月

Noun

五月 ‎(hiragana さつき, katakana サツキ, romaji satsuki)

1. (archaic) the fifth month of the lunar calendar
2. (poetic) May
3. (botany) Rhododendron indicum, a kind of azalea native to Japan (so named because it usually blooms in May)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana in biological contexts, as サツキ. When spelled in kanji, the azalea sense may be more often spelled as 皐月.

The term gogatsu is the most common term for the month of May in modern Japanese. The synonyms satsuki and sanaezuki are archaic and may be used in historical or poetic contexts.

Synonyms

(May):

• 五月 (gogatsu) (see above)

(fifth lunar month):

• 早苗月 ‎(sanaezuki)

References

1. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3
3. 1 2 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0
4. ↑ 1984, 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, relevant text online here.
5. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

Korean

Noun

五月 • ‎(owol) ‎(hangeul 오월)

1. Hanja form^? of 오월, “the fifth month”.