The character 月 — “moon”: how to write it and what it means
moon, month
The Chinese character 月 is read yuè and means “moon, month”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 月
月 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 月, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 月 is made of
A picture of a crescent moon.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 月
- 月亮moonHSK 3
- 月饼mooncakeHSK 4
- 月份month (of the year)HSK 4
- 岁月years, timesHSK 6
- 月光moonlightHSK 6
- 月球the Moon (celestial body)HSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 月?
月 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 月 mean?
月 means “moon, month”. It appears in 月亮 (“moon”), 月饼 (“mooncake”), 月份 (“month”), 岁月 (“years”).
How do you pronounce 月?
月 is read yuè. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 月 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 月 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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