Key Facts
- Hangul: 12월 (십이월); Revised Romanization: sibiwol
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 十二月 (十 ten + 二 two + 月 month)
- Register: Neutral, standard month name.
December in Korean: What Does 12월 (십이월) Mean?
12월 (십이월) is December. It is the standard Sino-Korean month name, neutral in register, and in writing it is usually the digits plus 월.
Christmas on December 25 is a public holiday in Korea, and year-end gatherings (송년회) are common.
How Do You Pronounce 12월 (십이월)?
Say si-bi-wol. The digit 12 is read with the Sino-Korean number 십이, then 월 for month. The final ㅂ of 십 moves into the next syllable, so you hear si-bi rather than sip-i.
Example Sentences with 12월 (십이월)
12월에는 눈이 와요.
Sibiworeneun nuni wayo
It snows in December.
Weather in the month: 12월에는 uses the time marker 에 and the contrast marker 는, and 눈이 와요 says it snows.
12월 25일은 크리스마스예요.
Sibiwol isiboireun keuriseumaseuyeyo
December 25 is Christmas.
A date: 12월 25일 reads sibiwol isiboil, December 25, and the sentence names Christmas, a public holiday in Korea.
12월에 한 해가 끝나요.
Sibiwore han haega kkeunnayo
The year ends in December.
The year-end: 한 해 means a year, and 끝나요 means it ends.
Collocations
Useful set phrases are 12월 말 for end of December, 12월 31일 for December 31st, 12월에 for in December, and 연말 for year-end.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 12월 말 | end of December |
| 12월 31일 | December 31st |
| 12월에 | in December |
| 연말 | year-end |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: ✗ 열두월
Correct: ✓ 십이월, written 12월
Why: 열두 is the native twelve, used for counting things and for twelve o'clock. Months always use Sino-Korean numbers, so twelve is 십이.
12월 (십이월) Compared with Similar Words
The month name stands beside one traditional name and two year-end words.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 연말 | year-end | 연말 is the end of the year as a season, roughly December, not the month name. |
| 섣달 | twelfth lunar month | 섣달 is the traditional name for the last month of the lunar calendar. |
| 송년회 | year-end party | 송년회 is a gathering to say goodbye to the year, an event held in December. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
The hanja are 十二月: 十 ten, 二 two and 月 month, so the name is literally ten-two month, the Sino-Korean way of saying twelfth month.
Arranging a Year-End Meal
Two coworkers are choosing a date for their year-end gathering. The month narrows the plan, and the answer supplies a particular day.
Jisu
송년회는 언제예요?
Songnyeonhoeneun eonjeyeyo?
When is the year-end party?
Minho
십이월 이십일이에요.
Sibiwol isibirieyo.
It’s December 20.
Jisu
좋아요. 달력에 적을게요.
Joayo. Dallyeoge jeogeulgeyo.
Great. I’ll write it on my calendar.
The spoken month is 십이월 even when the invitation writes 12월. The second line combines the month and day without an English-style “of”. In a message, the same date is normally written 12월 20일. The final reply confirms the date before it goes into the calendar.
How Do You Use December in a Plan?
12월에 means “in December”. The marker 에 places an event in time, as in the existing sentence about the year ending. 12월에는 adds 는, which can set December apart from other months or introduce it as the period under discussion. The month itself keeps the same form.
12월 말 means “late December” or “the end of December”. 말 gives an approximate part of the month, rather than one fixed date. If a friend says they will visit in 12월 말, you still need a specific day before buying tickets or arranging to meet them.
12월 초 means “early December”, and 12월 중순 means “mid-December”. These phrases are useful when the general period matters more than an exact appointment. They divide up the month for planning; they are not names for separate calendar months.
12월까지 means “until December” or “by December”, depending on the action. A course continuing until December and a task to finish by December use the same marker differently. For a deadline, clarify the exact date and time if the message only names the month.
Month Name or Length of Time?
12월 names December in the calendar. 12개월 means twelve months as a duration. The extra 개 changes what you are counting: a subscription lasting twelve months can begin in any month of the year. Its duration does not tell you that it begins or ends in December.
In ordinary writing, keep the numeral and 월 together: 12월. Leave a space before a separate day expression, as in 12월 31일. The reading uses Sino-Korean numbers for both parts. You do not switch to native numbers just because the date appears in a casual text message.
Where Will You See 12월?
Look for 12월 on calendars, event invitations, appointment messages and notices about year-end schedules. 십이월 is the same month written out in Hangul; it is useful when learning how to read the digits aloud. Neither spelling changes the politeness of the sentence.
연말 points to the year-end period more broadly. A message about 연말 plans may concern several gatherings rather than the entire calendar month. 송년회 names one of those gatherings. Knowing which expression is a month, a period or an event makes invitations easier to follow.
Calendar Words for the Next Step
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 달력 | calendar | Where you record the December date. |
| 날짜 | date | The exact day you may still need to confirm. |
| 1월 | January | The month after December, in the next year. |
| 새해 | new year | Refers to the year that begins after December ends. |
The months lesson gives the full calendar sequence. When a plan crosses from December into January, include the year if the context could leave it unclear.
Quick Self-Test
- How do you read the month in 12월?
- Does 12월 말 specify exactly December 31?
- Which means twelve months as a duration: 12월 or 12개월?
Show answers
- 십이월 (sibiwol).
- No. It means late December or the end of the month more generally.
- 12개월. 12월 names December.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not 열두월?
Months always use Sino-Korean numbers, so December is 십이월, written 12월. 열두 is the native twelve, used for counting things and for twelve o'clock.
How do I say December 31st?
Write 12월 31일 and read it sibiwol samsibiril. It is the last day of the year, often called 연말 in a wider sense.
What is 송년회?
송년회 is a year-end party, a gathering held in December to say goodbye to the year with colleagues, classmates or friends.
What does 섣달 mean?
섣달 is the traditional name for the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It is not a modern name for December.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: the months words page groups 12월 (십이월) with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- The month counter itself: month in Korean.