Frost Month 霜月
shimotsuki2 characters21 strokes
霜月 (shimotsuki) is the old Japanese name for the eleventh month of the year, said to mean the month when frost begins to form.
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Meaning 意味
What 霜月 means
The Japanese word for Frost Month, written with 2 kanji and read shimotsuki.
Shimotsuki is the name of the eleventh month in the old Japanese lunar calendar. It is said to mean the month when frost begins to form. Today it is still used as a poetic name for November.
When people write it in Japan. In Japan, shimotsuki is a common calligraphy assignment in November. It also suits any piece about autumn turning into winter.
Japanese students learn the last of these kanji in junior high school.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 霜月
Three things to watch
- In 霜, write the rain radical at the top (amekanmuri) wide and flat, so it covers the 相 below.
- 霜 has 17 strokes, so keep your lines a little thin. Make the spaces between the strokes about even.
- 月 has few strokes, so do not make it too large. Stretch its sweep down to the left long and smooth, and line up the centers of the two characters.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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