Monday, October 25, 2010

Czech Months

Learning the months in Czech can be a bit difficult. Czech is one of the few European languages where the names of the months are not based on Latin. So of course, this makes it just a bit more difficult to learn.

Here are some hints on how to remember each month. In Czech, the names of the months are not capitalized like they are in English.

January = leden (ice)

February = únor (melting ice)

March = březen (month of birch)

April = duben (month of oak)

May = květen (month of flowering)

June = červen (from červený, in fruit)

July = červenec (more in ripening fruit)

August = srpen (from srp, sickle...for harvest month)

September = září ("it shines" as in the sun shines without warming)

October = říjen (rutting season)

November = listopad (leaf falling month)

December = prosinec (from prosit to beg, to ask or to plead...think of kids wanting Christmas presents)


  1. That is so interesting! I did not know any of that.

  2. I should add some comments:

    únor, prosinec - you provided a folk (false) etymology, the real etymology is unclear

    červen - probably directly from červ (= worm), červený means dyed by worm (see Porphyrophora polonica, Polish cochineal)

    červenec - artificially invented to distinguish July from June

    září (from "za říje") - has the same root like říjen (říje = rutting), nothing in common with shining

  3. Hi,
    I read somewhere that "prosinec" is a vowel-shifted version of the old name "prasinec", which roots from "prase" e.g. pig, hog. The reason is reportedly that this month was a hog-killing time in rural parts of the country.