Word
年月
Meaning in Englishmonths and years
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
年月 means a span of time measured in years and months. It denotes a duration from a starting point to a later point in time and is commonly used in written and spoken Japanese to discuss how long something lasts or has been ongoing.
Main meanings
- Duration measured in years and months; a time span that can range from several months to many years.
- The passage of time, especially the gradual progression of events or aging over years and months.
- A formal expression of a calendar-based time window used in contracts, reports, and biographical timelines.
How to use it
Used in formal and written Japanese to denote a duration of time rather than a specific date. It appears in historical summaries, business documents, and biographical narratives; commonly paired with verbs describing passage or accumulation of time.
Variants and close terms
- 歳月 (さいげつ, saigetsu) — literary or historical sense of many years and months
- 月日 (つきひ, tsukihi) — generic sense of time passing; everyday usage
- 年限 (ねんげん, nengen) — duration or limit of years; formal
Composition
- 年: year
- 月: month
- When combined, they express a span of time measured in years and months rather than a specific day.
Etymology
on'yomi reading nengetsu; formed as a Sino-Japanese compound using the characters 年 and 月; the pronunciation reflects standard on readings for kanji compounds
Word class
Noun (time expression)
Related words by kanji and components
N3
生年月日
seinengappi
birth date
N1
月謝
gessha
monthly tuition fee
N1
月賦
geppu
monthly installment
N1
年頃
toshigoro
age, marriageable age, adolescence
N1
年賀
nenga
New Year's greetings, New Year's card
N1
年号
nengou
name of an era, year number
N1
年長
nenchou
seniority
N1
年輪
nenrin
annual tree ring
N1
同い年
onaidoshi
of the same age