月 yuè — moon, month · English

月

yuè

moon, month

At a glance · 月

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

月字甲骨文象弯月之形，以区别于日；金文、小篆象月牙，隶变后作『月』，楷体承之。

What the sketch shows

Shuowen Jiezi

魚厥切。闕也。大陰之精。象形。凡月之屬皆从月。。

— 《说文解字》

Origins & notes

月本义为月亮，引申为月份。

Structure

月为象形字，描摹新月或满月的轮廓。

At a glance

Pinyinyuè

Radical月

Strokes4

UnicodeU+6708

Character type象形

Theme天文

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English moon, month Yue is a pictograph of the moon and means both the moon and a month.

Français lune, mois Yue est un pictogramme de la lune et signifie à la fois la lune et un mois.

Español luna, mes Yue es un pictograma de la luna y significa tanto la luna como un mes.

العربية قمر، شهر يويه رسم تخطيطي للقمر ويعني القمر وشهراً.

Русский луна, месяц Юэ — пиктограмма луны, означает и луну, и месяц.

Common words

月亮yuè liangmoon
月份yuè fènmonth

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