Chinese Tattoo 月: Meaning, Strokes & Design Guide
The character 月 means "moon; month; Kangxi radical 74" and is pronounced yuè. Below: its structure, the words it appears in, and how it works as a tattoo.
Quick facts
| Character | 月 |
| Pinyin | yuè |
| Meaning | moon; month; Kangxi radical 74 |
| Strokes | 4 |
| Radical | ⽉ (No. 74) |
| HSK level | newest-1 |
Words that contain 月
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 月亮 | yuè liang | the moon | newest-3 |
| 月份 | yuè fèn | month | newest-4 |
| 岁月 | suì yuè | years | newest-6 |
| 上个月 | shàng gè yuè | last month | new-4 |
| 月球 | yuè qiú | the moon | newest-6 |
| 蜜月 | mì yuè | honeymoon | newest-7 |
Words and levels: HSK vocabulary list · meanings: CC-CEDICT.
Placing 月
月 is only 4 strokes, so it stays readable even small — but a simple character shows every wobble. There is nowhere to hide a shaky line here, so line weight and steady spacing matter more than with a dense character. Bring the stencil together with the pinyin and the meaning, and ask the artist to follow the stencil rather than redrawing the character freehand — freehand redrawing is the most common way a correct character loses a stroke and becomes a different one.
Design notes for 月
月 appears both on its own and inside compounds, so the sense depends on context; here it reads “moon; month; Kangxi radical 74”. Regular script (楷书) keeps every stroke countable, which matters when a Chinese reader checks it. Avoid mirroring or rotating the character, and avoid very fine or cursive styles at small sizes, where strokes merge into a shape that reads as a different character.
Frequently asked questions
What does 月 mean?
月 (yuè) means “moon; month; Kangxi radical 74”.
How is 月 pronounced?
月 is pronounced yuè in Mandarin.
How many strokes does 月 have?
月 has 4 strokes, under the ⽉ radical (No. 74).
How large should a 月 tattoo be?
With 4 strokes, 月 is open and holds detail well even at small sizes.
Which style works for 月?
Bold regular script (楷书) keeps the strokes clear. Semi-cursive (行书) adds flow but softens edges. Seal script looks classical but is harder for most readers to verify — use it only if a native reader has confirmed the rendering.
Is 月 common in modern Chinese?
Yes — 月 appears as a standalone HSK vocabulary item (newest-1), and in everyday words such as 月亮、月份、岁月.
Should I use simplified or traditional 月?
月 is written the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, so there is no form to choose.
Want 月 as a ready-to-use stencil with a native-checked meaning card, sized for your tattoo artist?
✦ Get this designNot ready? Browse more characters · All 150+ characters
Character data: Unihan (Unicode) · words: HSK vocabulary & CC-CEDICT · How we verify this