六月份 (liù yuè fèn) — June | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

June

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

月份month

偏正Modifier + head

六 means six, 月 means month, and 份 means unit, so the sense is the sixth month of the year.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 六 may come from a simple drawing of a shed, or from an ancient counting mark.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻分份

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

分

分fēn份fèn(r)

Same sound today

份 is built from 亻, the person form written in full as 人, and 分, which gives the sound.

Appears in