Hindi Month Names: Gender

Since all months are masculine, everything around them must agree. This means your adjectives, possessive markers, and verbs will follow the masculine pattern. For example, the word for 'of' is kā (masculine) instead of kī (feminine). If you want to say 'last January', you use pichlā (masculine). You would never say pichlī Janvarī. Even if a month name ends in an 'ī' sound, like Janvarī or Maī, it stays masculine. This is a common pitfall because many Hindi words ending in 'ī' are feminine. But months are special. They follow the gender of the word for month itself, which is mahīnā. Since mahīnā is masculine, its specific names are too. It is like a family name where everyone takes the same title.

1. 1Using months correctly follows a very predictable three-step process:
2. 2Pick your month name (e.g., Mārc or Sitambar).
3. 3Use the masculine possessive marker kā if you are showing belonging.
4. 4Ensure adjectives like pichlā (last) or aglā (next) end in 'ā'.
5. 5If the month is the subject, the verb will use masculine endings like -ā or -tā.
6. 6For example, if you are in a job interview and say 'My contract ends in March', you would think of March as a masculine entity. If you say 'January was cold', you say Janvarī thandā thā. Notice the thā at the end? That is the masculine 'was'. Even though Janvarī sounds feminine to a beginner, the grammar stays masculine. It is a solid, unbreakable pattern.

Use this rule every time you talk about time or schedules. Are you ordering food for a big party in Agast? Use masculine agreement. Are you telling a friend that Jūn is too hot for a road trip? Keep it masculine. It applies to formal writing, like business emails or news reports. It also applies to casual chats about your favorite time of year. If you are asking for directions to a festival that happens in Phāgun, the same rule applies. It is one of the most consistent parts of the language. You will use it when discussing birthdays, holidays, and deadlines. It is basically the backbone of any conversation involving a calendar.

There is one specific trap you must avoid. While the names of months are masculine, the word for 'date' is not. The word tārīkh (date) is feminine. This can be confusing. If you say 'The date of January', you are focusing on the word 'date'. So, you would say Janvarī kī tārīkh. Here, kī agrees with tārīkh, not Janvarī. Similarly, the traditional lunar date word tithi is also feminine. So, if you are talking about the month itself, stay masculine. If you shift the focus to a specific date or the word 'date', switch to feminine. It is like a grammar traffic light; the word 'date' turns the light red for masculine agreement.

Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes in very fast speech, but usually, it's learners who trip. The biggest mistake is the 'ī' sound trap. Because Janvarī, Farvarī, and Maī end in that long 'e' sound, learners often use kī or feminine adjectives. You might be tempted to say Janvarī acchī thī. Resist that urge! It must be Janvarī acchā thā. Another mistake is mixing up the month with the word for 'date' as mentioned before. People often say Janvarī kā tārīkh because they remember months are masculine. But remember: the word tārīkh always wins the gender battle when it's present. Don't let the month name bully the word 'date' into being masculine.

Compare months with days of the week. In Hindi, days of the week like Somvār (Monday) or Ravivār (Sunday) are also masculine. This makes the whole calendar system quite consistent. However, contrast this with seasons. While most seasons like Basant (Spring) are masculine, the word for 'season' itself, rutu, can be feminine in some contexts or literary styles. Months are much more straightforward. Unlike languages like French or Spanish where you have to memorize genders for every noun, Hindi months are a 'set it and forget it' category. They don't change based on the weather or the length of the month. They are masculine through and through.