先月（せんげつ、sengetsu）
- last month

The Japanese word 先月 (せんげつ) means "last month" or "the previous month." It refers to the month immediately preceding the current month. It is a common time-related word used to specify events or occurrences that happened in the past.

⚫︎ 先月、日本へ旅行しました。 Translation: I traveled to Japan last month. ⚫︎ 先月は忙しかった。 Translation: Last month was busy. ⚫︎ 先月の給料はまだもらっていません。 Translation: I haven't received last month's salary yet.

先月 is used to specify a past month. It is used in various contexts, from describing events, experiences, and activities, to discussing schedules, financial matters, and more. It is usually straightforward in its usage, appearing before the time frame or event you are discussing.

先月 is typically written as 先月, using the kanji for "previous/before" (先) and "month" (月). The reading is せんげつ in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard.

There are no direct perfect synonyms for 先月. However, words or phrases used to refer to a similar timeframe include: ⚫︎ 前月 (ぜんげつ) - the previous month (more formal) ⚫︎ 去る月 (さるつき) - the previous month (less common)

The antonym of 先月 (last month) would be next month. ⚫︎ 来月 (らいげつ) - next month

先月は、新しいプロジェクトが始まりました。 ・Translation: Last month, a new project started. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the beginning of a new project in the previous month.

先月、映画を三回見ました。 ・Translation: I watched three movies last month. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an activity that took place three times in the previous month.

The word 先月 is formed by combining the kanji 先 (せん, meaning "previous," "former," or "ahead") and 月 (げつ, meaning "month" or "moon"). The combination of these two characters creates a word to indicate the month that preceded the current month. The etymology is directly reflective of its meaning.