january
A1Neutral (used in all registers)
Definition
Meaning
The first month of the year in the Gregorian calendar.
Used metaphorically to signify a beginning, a fresh start, or a period of cold weather and post-holiday recovery.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Always capitalised. Primarily a proper noun referring to a specific month. Can be used attributively (e.g., January sales).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Dates are formatted differently (e.g., UK: 1 January 2024; US: January 1, 2024).
Connotations
Similar connotations of cold weather, new beginnings, and post-Christmas austerity in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
in + Januaryby + Januaryfrom + Januaryuntil + JanuaryJanuary + of + [year]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “January blues”
- “as welcome as a January blizzard”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The Q1 targets must be finalised by the end of January."
Academic
"The semester commences in January."
Everyday
"We always go skiing in January."
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The January sales are a British tradition.
- He's suffering from a classic January gloom.
American English
- She made a January resolution to exercise more.
- We're experiencing January temperatures already.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My birthday is in January.
- January is very cold.
- The project will start next January.
- I always find January a difficult month.
- By late January, the enthusiasm for New Year's resolutions had faded.
- The contract is valid from January through June.
- The company's January figures belied the optimistic forecast made in December.
- Her memoir, published that January, immediately sparked controversy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
JAN-U-ARY: Just A New Year, Unfolding And Ready for You.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A JOURNEY (The start of the journey). A CONTAINER (Events happen 'in' January).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- In Russian, month names are not capitalised (январь). Remember to capitalise 'January' in English.
- Preposition use: 'in January' (в январе), not 'on January'.
Common Mistakes
- Spelling: 'Janurary', 'Januart', 'Janaury'.
- Capitalisation: writing 'january'.
- Preposition: 'on January' (incorrect for the month).
Practice
Quiz
Which preposition is typically used with 'January' when referring to the entire month?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Because it is a proper noun, the name of a specific month, just like days of the week or personal names.
The standard abbreviations are 'Jan.' (with a period) or simply 'J' in some limited contexts like schedules.
Yes, in an attributive position to describe things typical of that month, e.g., 'January sales', 'January weather'.
Yes. 'In January' refers to something happening during the month. 'On January' is incorrect; you need 'on' + a specific date (e.g., on January 5th).
Collections
Part of a collection
Numbers and Time
A1 · 50 words · Numbers, dates, days and expressions of time.