How to say 'December' in Japanese | 師走

Wondering how to say 'December' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for December is 'Shiwasu', written as 師走 in Japanese.'December' in hiragana is しわす.

word

師走

Meaning

December

Reading

しわす

shiwasu

Kanji

師Master, Expert 走Run

Explanation

The Japanese noun '師走 (しわす)' refers to the month of December, the twelfth and final month of the year. The term is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and tradition, often associated with the busy end-of-year activities, such as preparing for the New Year. The word itself has an interesting etymology, with one theory suggesting that it comes from the idea of even Buddhist monks (師) running around (走る) busily during this month. Example sentences: December is a busy month「師走は忙しい月です」(しわすはいそがしいつきです). I will visit my family in December「師走に家族を訪ねます」(しわすにかぞくをたずねます).

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

4457

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 師走

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

kanji

師

Meaning

Master, Expert

kanji

走

Meaning

Run

Words Related to 師走 Through the Kanji 師

These 6 Words contain the Kanji 師 as well.

word

師

Meaning

Teacher

word

医師

Meaning

Doctor

word

教師

Meaning

Teacher

word

技師

Meaning

Engineer

word

師匠

Meaning

Master

word

講師

Meaning

Lecturer

Words Related to 師走 Through the Kanji 走

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 走 as well.

word

走る

Meaning

Run

word

走行

Meaning

Travel

Learn the Word 師走

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What does 'Shiwasu' (師走) mean?

'Shiwasu' means 'December' .

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