Month numbers
| # | Month | # | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | 7 | July |
| 2 | February | 8 | August |
| 3 | March | 9 | September |
| 4 | April | 10 | October |
| 5 | May | 11 | November |
| 6 | June | 12 | December |
The month number is what appears in a numeric date: in “15/06/2026” the month is 06, June.
Days in each month
- 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December.
- 30 days: April, June, September, November.
- February: 28 days, or 29 in a leap year.
That makes 365 days, or 366 in a leap year. Leap years and 29 February birthdays explains which years are leap years.
Arabic month names
Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Egypt use names derived from Latin (يناير، فبراير، مارس…), while the Levant and Iraq use names of Syriac origin (كانون الثاني، شباط، آذار، نيسان، أيار، حزيران، تموز، آب، أيلول، تشرين الأول، تشرين الثاني، كانون الأول). The table above shows both.
Where the names come from
- July is named after the Roman general Julius Caesar, and August after the Roman emperor Augustus.
- September, October, November and December come from the Latin numbers seven to ten, because the early Roman year began in March.
For the full story, read A short history of the Gregorian calendar; for the other calendar, see The Hijri months in order.
Last updated: