正月

しょうがつ

New Year, New Year's Day

Also:first month of the year

What does 正月 mean?

正月 is a Japanese noun meaning New Year, New Year's Day in English. It can also be translated as first month of the year depending on context. It is written as 正月 in kanji, しょうがつ in hiragana, and shougatsu in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N4 vocabulary.

Example sentence

正月はすぐそこまで来ている。

New Year's Day is close at hand.