今月
こんげつ
kongetsu
= this month
Kongetsu breaks down into two simple pieces: kon (今, this/now) and getsu (月, month). Put together, it just means (this month), but it’s also the piece that completes one of the first time-word sets every beginner learns: sengetsu (last month), kongetsu (this month), and raigetsu (next month).
Kongetsu combines 今 (this/now) with 月 (month, read as getsu in this compound rather than tsuki). It slots into a small, very regular family of relative-month words: sengetsu (先月, last month), kongetsu (今月, this month), raigetsu (来月, next month), and saraigetsu (再来月, the month after next). All of these are measured from whenever you’re speaking, not from a fixed calendar date. Grammatically, kongetsu usually works as a time adverb on its own, with no particle needed (今月は忙しい, this month is busy), though に can attach when pointing at a specific action happening within the month. Two compounds come up constantly: kongetsumatsu (今月末, the end of this month) and kongetsuchuu (今月中, sometime within this month, often used for deadlines). The reading is always こんげつ; learners sometimes guess いまつき by analogy with 今 read as ima, but that reading doesn’t apply here. The same 今〜 pattern shows up across other time units too: kyou (今日, today), konshuu (今週, this week), and kotoshi (今年, this year).
Memorize the trio together rather than in isolation: 先月 (sengetsu), 今月 (kongetsu), 来月 (raigetsu) — the middle syllable (先/今/来) is the only thing that changes. For deadlines, learn kongetsumatsu (今月末, end of this month) and kongetsuchuu ni (今月中に, by the end of this month) as fixed phrases; both are far more common in daily and business Japanese than saying (before the last day of this month) some longer way. Watch the reading: it’s こんげつ, not いまつき — 月 as (month) in these compounds is read getsu, while tsuki is reserved for the standalone noun (the moon) or calendar-date phrasing like 一月, 二月. Once kongetsu is solid, the same 今〜 pattern unlocks 今日 (today), 今週 (this week), and 今年 (this year) almost for free.
Everyday use
今月は出費が多いから、来月は節約しようと思う。
Kongetsu wa shuppi ga ooi kara, raigetsu wa setsuyaku shiyou to omou.
I’ve had a lot of expenses this month, so I want to save more next month.
Casual / Social Media
今月末までに旅行の計画立てなきゃ！
Kongetsumatsu made ni ryokou no keikaku tatenakya!
I need to finalize the trip plans by the end of this month!
Formal / Cultural context
経費精算書は今月中にご提出ください。
Keihi seisansho wa kongetsuchuu ni goteishutsu kudasai.
Please submit your expense report sometime within this month.
The 先/今/来 (sen/kon/rai) grid is one of the tidiest patterns in Japanese time vocabulary, and kongetsu sits right at its center. Once you can flex from 先月 to 今月 to 来月 without hesitating, the same swap works for weeks (先週/今週/来週) and years (去年/今年/来年, note 去年 rather than 先年). Japanese speakers rely on this grid constantly in scheduling, so being able to reach for kongetsu instinctively — rather than translating (this month) word by word — is a small but real marker of fluency.
Kongetsu also anchors a lot of the monthly rhythm of Japanese life: 家賃 (yachin, monthly rent) and 給料 (kyuuryou, monthly salary) are both things people discuss in terms of kongetsu no yachin or kongetsu no kyuuryou, and magazines still commonly label their current issue 今月号 (kongetsugou, this month’s issue) on the cover. None of this is about any single event — it’s the ordinary vocabulary of rent cycles, paydays, and publication schedules that makes kongetsu one of the most frequently spoken time words in daily conversation.