Months of the Year
in Mandarin Chinese
一年十二个月 (Yī nián shí’èr gè yuè)
 

Learning how to say the months of the year in Mandarin is essential for talking about dates, holidays, birthdays, and planning activities. In this lesson, we’ll discover how to use the months of the year in conversations about daily life, school, holidays, and more.

A. Vocabulary

Learn the following Mandarin Chinese vocabulary for the months of the year to help you quickly understand the upcoming reading text.

Note: If you’re using a mobile phone and the audio doesn’t play, then switch to desktop mode.

VOCABULARY OF MONTHS OF THE YEAR IN MANDARIN CHINESE
No	Picture	English	Chinese Character (Simplified)	Pinyin	Audio
1		Month	月	yuè
2		January	一月	yī yuè
3		February	二月	èr yuè
4		March	三月	sān yuè
5		April	四月	sì yuè
6		May	五月	wǔ yuè
7		June	六月	liù yuè
8		July	七月	qī yuè
9		August	八月	bā yuè
10		September	九月	jiǔ yuè
11		October	十月	shí yuè
12		November	十一月	shí yī yuè
13		December	十二月	shí èr yuè
授人以鱼不如授人以渔

Formation of Month Names

As you see in the list above that months in Mandarin are formed by combining a number (from one to twelve) with the character 月 (yuè), which means “month.” For examples: 一月 (yī yuè) for January, 二月 (èr yuè) for February, and so on, up to 十二月 (shí’èr yuè) for December.

B. Useful Expressions 

Now listen again to all the expressions above to further strengthen your understanding of the expressions related to months in Mandarin.

C. Dialogue for Practice

Practice the following dialogue with your partner. You can listen to the audio first to learn the correct pronunciation and intonation. Make sure you also understand the meaning of the dialogue. Hover your mouse over each sentence to check if your prediction is correct.

Situation: Dawei is at the mall with lots of shopping bags. Xiao Hua happens to see him.

你的生日是几月？
Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?
What Month Is Your Birthday?

小华 (Xiǎo Huá):
大伟，你怎么买了这么多东西？
Dà Wěi, nǐ zěnme mǎi le zhème duō dōngxi?
Da Wei, why did you buy so many things?

大伟 (Dà Wěi):
我想给我妹妹送生日礼物。
Wǒ xiǎng gěi wǒ mèimei sòng shēngrì lǐwù.
I want to give my little sister a birthday gift.

小华 (Xiǎo Huá):
哦，是吗？你妹妹的生日是几月？
Ò, shì ma? Nǐ mèimei de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?
Oh, really? What month is your sister’s birthday?

大伟 (Dà Wěi):
她的生日是六月，就在这个月。
Tā de shēngrì shì liù yuè, jiù zài zhè ge yuè.
Her birthday is in June, this month.

小华 (Xiǎo Huá):
我知道了！那你的生日是几月？
Wǒ zhīdào le! Nà nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?
Got it! Then what month is your birthday?

大伟 (Dà Wěi):
我的是三月。你的呢？
Wǒ de shì sān yuè. Nǐ de ne?
Mine is in March. And you?

小华 (Xiǎo Huá):
我的生日是四月，春天很美。
Wǒ de shēngrì shì sì yuè, chūntiān hěn měi.
My birthday is in April; spring is beautiful.

大伟 (Dà Wěi):
不错！那你最喜欢几月？
Búcuò! Nà nǐ zuì xǐhuān jǐ yuè?
Nice! What month do you like the most?

小华 (Xiǎo Huá):
我最喜欢四月，因为春天很舒服。你呢？
Wǒ zuì xǐhuān sì yuè, yīnwèi chūntiān hěn shūfu. Nǐ ne?
I like April the most because spring is very comfortable.

大伟 (Dà Wěi):
我最喜欢八月，因为有暑假。
Wǒ zuì xǐhuān bā yuè, yīnwèi yǒu shǔjià.
I like August the most because there’s summer break.

D. Grammar Aspects

几月 (jǐ yuè) – Which month / What month

In Mandarin Chinese, asking “what month” or “which month” is very straightforward and uses a specific question structure: 几月 (jǐ yuè). Understanding this combination of 几 (jǐ) and 月 (yuè) is key.

1. The Function of 几 (jǐ)

几 (jǐ) is a versatile question word. Its primary function is to ask about quantity when the number you expect in the answer is small (typically under ten), or when you’re asking to identify “which one” from a defined, limited set.

For example:

几个人? (jǐ ge rén?) – How many people? (Expecting a small number)

几个苹果? (jǐ ge píngguǒ?) – How many apples? (Expecting a small number)

When combined with units like 月 (yuè – month), 号 (hào – day of the month), or 点 (diǎn – o’clock), 几 (jǐ) specifically asks “which number” in that sequence.

2. Forming the Question “Which Month?”

You simply combine 几 (jǐ) directly with 月 (yuè) to form 几月 (jǐ yuè).

This combination directly translates to “Which month?” or “What month?”. You do not need any other words like “什么” (shénme – what) in between.

Examples from the text:

a. 你妹妹的生日是 几月 ？ (Nǐ mèimei de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?)

What month is your sister’s birthday?

b. 那你的生日是 几月 ？ (Nà nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè?)

Then what month is your birthday?

c. 那你最喜欢 几月 ？ (Nà nǐ zuì xǐhuān jǐ yuè?)

What month do you like the most?

3. Answering Questions with 几月

To answer, you replace 几 (jǐ) with the corresponding number of the month. Mandarin months are formed by simply putting the number (from one to twelve) before 月 (yuè). There are no special names for months like “January” or “February” in Chinese; they are just numbered.

Examples from the text:

a. 她的生日是 六月 。 (Tā de shēngrì shì liù yuè.)

Her birthday is in June.

b. 我的是 三月 。 (Wǒ de shì sān yuè.)

Mine is in March.

c. 我的生日是 四月 。 (Wǒ de shēngrì shì sì yuè.)

My birthday is in April.

d. 我最喜欢 八月 。 (Wǒ zuì xǐhuān bā yuè.)

I like August the most.

4. Important Note: 几 (jǐ) vs. 多少 (duōshǎo):

While 几 (jǐ) is used for small, countable numbers or for selection from a fixed, limited set (like the 12 months), 多少 (duōshǎo) is used for asking “how many/how much” when the quantity is expected to be large or unknown.

You would never say “多少月 (duōshǎo yuè)” to ask “what month.” 几月 (jǐ yuè) is the universally correct and natural way to ask this specific question.

More Examples for Practice:

Q: 现在是几月？ (Xiànzài shì jǐ yuè?)

What month is it now?

A: 现在是六月。 (Xiànzài shì liù yuè.) – It’s June now. (Referring to the current month in the context of this conversation.)

Q: 寒假是几月？ (Hánjià shì jǐ yuè?)

When is winter break? (Which month is winter break?)

A: 寒假是二月。 (Hánjià shì èr yuè.) – Winter break is in February.

Understanding 几月 (jǐ yuè) is a crucial step in being able to talk about dates and time naturally in Mandarin Chinese.

E. Reading Activity

Please read the following text and try to understand the meaning. Try to comprehend each sentence independently at first. Afterwards, hover your mouse over the sentence to check the English translation and verify your interpretation.

十二个月的故事
Shí’èr gè yuè de gùshì
Twelve Months, Twelve Stories

我叫明明，是高中生。
Wǒ jiào Míngming, shì gāozhōngshēng.

一年十二个月我都喜欢。
Yì nián shí’èr ge yuè wǒ dōu xǐhuān.

一月冷，我们欢迎新年。
Yīyuè lěng, wǒmen huānyíng xīnnián.

二月我们不上学，天气很冷，有时候下雪。
Èryuè wǒmen bú shàngxué, tiānqì hěn lěng, yǒu shíhou xià xuě.

三月天气很好，我去公园看花，花很漂亮。
Sānyuè tiānqì hěn hǎo, wǒ qù gōngyuán kàn huā, huā hěn piàoliang.

四月是春天，常常下小雨，花和树很漂亮。
Sìyuè shì chūntiān, chángcháng xià xiǎoyǔ, huā hé shù hěn piàoliang.

五月常常有太阳，我在公园运动。
Wǔyuè chángcháng yǒu tàiyáng, wǒ zài gōngyuán yùndòng.

六月我天天学习，准备考试，放假以后我想好好休息。
Liùyuè wǒ tiāntiān xuéxí, zhǔnbèi kǎoshì, fàngjià yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng hǎohǎo xiūxi.

七月和八月是暑假，我和家人一起去旅游。
Qīyuè hé bāyuè shì shǔjià, wǒ hé jiārén yìqǐ qù lǚyóu.

九月开学，我看到很多新同学。
Jiǔyuè kāixué, wǒ kàndào hěn duō xīn tóngxué.

十月不冷也不热，天气很好，我们去外面玩。
Shíyuè bù lěng yě bù rè, tiānqì hěn hǎo, wǒmen qù wàimiàn wán.

十一月风很大，也很冷，树叶慢慢掉下来。
Shíyīyuè fēng hěn dà, yě hěn lěng, shù yè mànmàn diào xiàlái.

十二月是冬天，非常冷，我和朋友一起去外面滑冰。
Shí’èr yuè shì dōngtiān, fēicháng lěng, wǒ hé péngyǒu yìqǐ qù wàimiàn huábīng.

每个月都很好，我很开心。
Měi ge yuè dōu hěn hǎo, wǒ hěn kāixīn.

Quiz

To test your understanding about the text above, please answer the following quiz.