เดือน
month (calendar)
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 month (calendar)
- 2 month(s) (unit of duration)
- 3 moon [literary or poetic]
This is the basic word for a calendar month or a period measured in months. In literary or poetic language, it can also refer to the moon in the sky.
month (calendar)
A division of the calendar year, used when talking about dates, schedules, and recurring events.
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โรงเรียนเปิดเดือนเมษายน rooŋrian pə̀ət dʉan meesǎayon School opens in April. โรงเรียนเปิดเดือนเมษายน details
month(s) (unit of duration)
A unit used after a number to measure a length of time in months.
moon [literary or poetic]
The moon in the sky, mainly in poetry, songs, romantic descriptions, and established expressions.
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คืนเดือนหงาย khʉʉn dʉan ŋǎay a moonlit night คืนเดือนหงาย details
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เดือนเต็มดวง dʉan tem duaŋ a full moon เดือนเต็มดวง details
Learning notes
Explanation
In modern Thai, เดือน is used most often for a calendar month and for periods measured in months. Common calendar expressions include เดือนนี้ “this month,” เดือนหน้า “next month,” เดือนที่แล้ว or เดือนก่อน “last month,” and ทุกเดือน “every month.” It can also precede a month name, as in เดือนเมษายน “April.” For duration, the number comes first: สามเดือน means “three months.” The pattern เดือนละสองครั้ง means “two times per month,” or “twice a month.” เดือน can also mean the moon in the sky, but this use is mainly poetic, literary, or found in established expressions such as คืนเดือนหงาย “a moonlit night.” พระจันทร์ and ดวงจันทร์ are clearer and more natural in everyday speech. The classifier for the moon as a celestial object is ดวง.
Usage
It is extremely common when discussing schedules, dates, lengths of stay, contracts, rent, salaries, pregnancy, and other periods measured in months. Its celestial sense appears mainly in poetry, songs, romantic descriptions, and expressions about moonlit nights.
Caution
When measuring duration, put the number first, as in สามเดือน “three months.” Because เดือน by itself is normally understood as a calendar month, use พระจันทร์ or ดวงจันทร์ when you need to refer clearly to the moon in everyday conversation. Also, “tonight” is คืนนี้, not เดือนนี้.
Differences from similar words
3 moon [literary or poetic] synonyms
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ดวงจันทร์ clearly identifies the moon as a celestial body and is common in neutral or scientific contexts. เดือน by itself is usually understood as a calendar month unless the context is literary.
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พระจันทร์ is the ordinary everyday word for the moon in the sky. In this sense, เดือน has a more literary or poetic tone.