What does “maitsuki” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “maitsuki” to mean ‘every month” in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “maitsuki” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “maitsuki”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “maitsuki”.
- maitsuki – 毎月 (まいつき) : a noun, but often used as an adverb to mean ‘every month’ in Japanese.
Grammatically this is a noun, but can also work as an adverb. In Japanese, many time-related nouns can also work as adverbs. “Maitsuki” is one of them. It can therefore work almost anywhere in a sentence to say “every month” in Japanese. Perhaps this fact sounds a bit weird to Japanese learners, but this is not unique to the Japanese language. For example, “tomorrow” can work as both a noun and an adverb in English. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this point, I think.
The definition and meaning are not that difficult, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Maitsuki in kanji
The kanji expression of “maitsuki” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 毎 : a kanji character often used as a prefix or suffix to add the meaning of ‘every’.
- 月 : a kanji character used to mean ‘month’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that the formed word literally means ‘every month’ in Japanese. What the kanji characters express is completely in line with the actual meaning.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “maitsuki” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “maitsuki” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “every month” in Japanese
watashi wa maitsuki yachin wo harau – 私は毎月家賃を払う (わたしはまいつきやちんをはらう)
I pay my rent every month.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- yachin – 家賃 (やちん) : a noun meaning ‘rent’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “yachin” to make the object in the sentence.
- harau – 払う (はらう) : a verb meaning ‘to pay’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “maitsuki”. In the example, it works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “every month” in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “maitsuki”
maitsuki no shiharai wo keisan suru – 毎月の支払いを計算する (まいつきのしはらいをけいさんする)
I calculate every month’s payment.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “maitsuki” and “shiharai”. The formed phrase literally means “every month’s payment” in Japanese.
- shiharai – 支払い (しはらい) : a noun meaning ‘payment’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- keisan suru – 計算する (けいさんする) : a verb meaning ‘to calculate’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “maitsuki”. In this example, it works together with “no” and “shiharai” to mean “every month’s payment” in Japanese. When we want to say “every month” in Japanese, anyway, this word is always a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “maitsuki” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- maitsuki – 毎月 (まいつき) : a noun, but often used as an adverb to mean ‘every month’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘every month’ in Japanese. What the kanji characters express is completely in line with the actual meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
